The Two Sides of Luigi
by saturn95
Summary: After returning home, Mario and Peach go missing and Luigi becomes a fugitive on the run after he supposedly kidnapped them. To clear his name, Luigi must piece together the clues and cross great distances to locate and confront the real culprit. But after suffering from severe depression and anger, is he willing to save the newly engaged couple, even if the world faces Armageddon?
1. A Not So Happy Ending

**A Not So Happy Ending**

* * *

Bowser's Castle – Two Days Earlier

"Alright, Bowser! Your reign of terror on the Mushroom Kingdom ends now!" Mario yelled as he neared the end of the bridge that hung over a river of seething red lava. The evil Koopa King was at the other end of the bridge, glaring at his opponent with an equally disintegrating glance as he readied for another fire attack. He took in a deep breath and let Mario have it as fire shot its way across the dark dungeon chamber. Luckily, Mario was able to dodge the oncoming fire and avoid becoming scorched with his superior athletic abilities. By this point, sweat was running down Mario's face as he neared the evil Koopa King to deliver a powerful punch. Bowser swiped at the plumber, but missed. He was instead greeted with a swift kick in the head from Mario's boot. Angered by his own failure, Bowser opened one of his large hands and managed to grab the plumber before he was able to get past him and into the room where Princess Peach was being held.

"Not so fast, plumber!" Bowser sneered.

"Let go of me, you damned lizard!" Mario said. Bowser's grip begin to tighten and Mario could not breathe.

"You may have gotten this far, but you won't make it to the princess this time around!" said the Koopa King. "I am going to end this right now."

"How?" Mario managed to ask with the little air that was in his lungs.

"I am going to toss you into the lava below the bridge, but not before I chop your head off with my axe! You remember it? You used it against me numerous times in the past, but now it is my turn to use it on you _permanently_. MWAHAHAHAHAHA! Don't you just love irony?" Bowser reached down to the ground for the sharp weapon, but was surprised to see that it was not there.

"WHAT?! WHERE IS MY AXE?!" Bowser roared as he frantically searched for it.

"_Looking for this?_" echoed a voice a voice from above. Bowser looked up and saw the other plumber standing in a doorway overlooking the tall lava chamber. He was carrying the axe in his right hand.

"Luigi!" Mario yelled.

"You stupid green-clad plumber!" Bowser yelled. "Bring me back that axe, or I'll personally throw your brother into the lava! I'm not afraid to do it!"

"Enough of the bull-crap, Bowser!" Luigi shouted. "You know you're going to lose again. You might as well toss _yourself_ into the lava!"

"Very funny…NOW GIVE ME THAT FREAKIN' AXE!"

"In your dreams."

Overhead was a long metal chain supporting an overhead fire chandelier. In that moment, Luigi quickly detached the chain from the wall with the axe and watched as it landed on top of the evil lizard king. Mario freed himself from Bowser's grasp and Luigi made his way down to the bridge by performing one of his signature forward somersaults. He landed on both of his feet.

"Luigi! Quick!" Mario yelled. "Get off the bridge before Bowser gets back up!"

Luigi ran across the wooden beams and jumped over to where Mario was standing and effortlessly snapped the ropes of the bridge with the axe causing Bowser to plummet into the lava below. Bowser screamed in agony as the liquid rock scalded his scaly reptilian skin and burned him to a black crisp. The screaming eventually subsided and the brothers breathed a huge sigh of relief, realizing that their quest was over and Bowser had been defeated. Both of them have waited too long for this moment. Mario turned to his brother.

"You did it, brother. You saved the world!" Mario said, giving his brother a huge hug. Luigi returned the favor. Ever since they started going after the evil dictator, it had been their dream to take him down once and for all for the sake of the Mushroom Kingdom. It had finally happened. BOWSER WAS DEAD.

"I couldn't have done it without you." Luigi said. "I never thought this day would ever come!"

"_Mario! Luigi! Get me out of here!_" yelled a voice from the closed off room nearby. It was the princess. Mario and Luigi wasted no time in busting the door open and rushed inside to her aid. The elegantly-dressed Peach rushed over to the brothers in tears. Words could not describe the happiness that she felt.

"Oh, thank you!" Peach said, embracing Mario as if he was going away for an extended period of time. "How could I ever repay you two for your exemplary deed?"

"No need. We're just happy that you're safe." Mario said. "Bowser won't be kidnapping you anymore. He's dead."

"Oh, Mario…" Peach said, leaning closer to the red-clad plumber. He did the same and they both felt their lips lock together. After a few moments, they stared at each other for a few moments until they both started making their way out the doorway. Luigi followed, though not in the brightest of spirits. The reason: Mario and Peach's romance.

It happened every time the brothers saved Peach from Bowser. Mario and the princess would make out and lock lips in front of Luigi after each final battle and he would always be the one getting nothing out of it, nothing except a stronger need for more attention and appreciation. The truth is that Luigi had deep feelings for the princess as well, but his incredible shyness combined with Mario's overshadowing popularity made him vulnerable to lack of self-esteem. As a result, no one among the general public truly recognized Luigi as Mario's partner in their heroic deeds, but rather just a simple side-kick. Now that Bowser was gone, Luigi thought that he may get a chance to impress Peach. But as he watched her and Mario kiss in the doorway, he faced reality and knew that Peach was out of his league. She had chosen his brother over him and it seemed to him that he would never get another chance at love.

Anger coupled with jealousy started to creep into Luigi's mind as he struggled to cope with his inner rage, which soon melted into intense melancholy. It was something that only became more intense after each adventure. _Why does Mario always get the girl? _Luigi thought. _Hell, I was the one that killed Bowser!_

"Are you coming, Luigi?" Peach asked.

"Yeah, I guess." he replied, tried to hide his feelings.

"What's the matter, Luigi?" Mario asked.

"Nothing." Luigi lied. "I'm just really tired. Let's get out of here."

Luigi looked up at his brother and felt the jealousy inside of him grow. He almost wanted to punch him in the face, but he somehow managed to refrain from doing so. He followed the two lovebirds out of doorway and into the lava room where they managed to find a hidden passage leading outside where their boat ride back to the Mushroom Kingdom was waiting for them.

* * *

Present Day

It was mid-morning over the Mushroom Kingdom coastline and Luigi watched as Peach's Castle started coming into better focus as the boat neared the docks. Looking across the open ocean, he remembered how impressive the castle looked the first time he ever ventured near it. Even in the years since he first saw it, it was still an impressive sight. It stood as a triumphant testament of the Mushroom Kingdom's long history, a reminder of the many great moments that have happened in its past. The expansive green garden and the giant maple trees seen lining the stone trail were enough to make any professional landscaper envious. Beautiful white daisies and yellow daffodils decorated the outline of the path and medium-sized trees loaded with ripe peaches which were being picked out in the nearby harvesting yard, located beyond the stony path in front of the castle and out in the grassy field. Luigi knew that there would be a huge welcoming party when they arrive, and it would not be for him either. He did not want anything to do with his brother since they left the Darklands, especially since last night when he heard moaning and banging coming from Mario's sleeping quarters. It was obvious that Mario and Peach were doing more than just making out that night. For all Luigi knew, they could be doing it again right now, since he was the only person sitting out on the deck and he has not seen either of them for the past half hour.

Just then, Mario and Peach walked out onto the deck and sat next to Luigi. Luigi did not say a word.

"Looks like we're almost home." Mario said.

"Yep." Luigi replied, not even looking at his brother.

"Is everything alright, Luigi? You don't seem like yourself today."

"I'm alright! Just leave me alone!" Luigi snapped.

"Alright! Alright! Geez, Luigi…Just because you killed Bowser doesn't mean you have to treat your brother like crap."

Luigi turned around and looked at Mario with a somewhat disgusted look on his face.

"You think _that_ is the reason why I'm snapping at you?!" Luigi said.

"Mario! Luigi! Stop it!" Peach yelled. "You two are acting like little children!"

Luigi turned his back on his brother and pretended like he was staring into the water, but Mario knew that there was something on his mind. He tried to reach out to him, but Luigi simply ushered him away and made his way into the cabin, where he then went directly to his quarters. Both Peach and Mario looked at each other, unable to explain what had just happened. They both knew one thing: Luigi was not happy.

"What the hell was that all about?!" Mario asked.

"I don't know." Peach said. "Maybe he's just tired?"

"No…He's usually not this cranky when he's tired." Mario replied. "There's something else going on, and I want to know what it is."

"Give him some time to calm down first." Peach said. "I don't think he wants to talk to you right now."

"But why?" Mario asked. "What did I do to make him so angry?"

"Maybe I should talk to him." Peach said. "He'll probably listen to me."

"You can try, but I won't guarantee anything." Mario replied.

* * *

Peach walked inside the boat cabin and made her way down the hall until she reached the door leading into Luigi's quarters. She knocked on the door to let him know she was there, but there was no reply. She tried again.

"Luigi!" Peach said. "May I come in?"

No response. She tried knocking again, but still there was silence. _Is he in the bathroom? _Peach looked down the hall towards the restroom, only to find that the door was wide open and unoccupied. She turned back towards Luigi's door.

"Luigi? Are you in there?" she asked. "Hello?"

Peach finally allowed herself to open the door and stepped inside to find Luigi sitting on the bed with his head buried in his arms as if he were crying. He did not even look up to say anything, for he was too upset to talk to anyone, even the princess herself. Peach knew that there was something on his mind, but she was afraid to ask, since Mario had mentioned to her that there would be no guarantees in learning the truth behind his sudden depression. Finally, after a moment of silence and taking a deep breath, Peach sat on the bed beside Luigi and proceeded to start a conversation with the younger Mario Brother.

"Is everything alright, Luigi?" Peach asked.

"No." he replied. "I don't want to talk about it. It's something that's been on my mind for the past two days. It's been ripping at my heart ever since my brother and I started rescuing you from Bowser."

"Well, maybe I can help you feel better." Peach said. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"

"I can't. It's too sensitive." Luigi replied. "Besides, I don't want to hurt your feelings, princess. It would only make things worse than they already are."

"What are you talking about?" Peach said. "There's nothing wrong with the way things are right now! You and Mario saved me from Bowser and killed him once and for all. Don't you realize what that means? It means that the Mushroom Kingdom has many peaceful years ahead of it. You should be proud for what you did…"

"I would if Mario didn't always take all of the credit…" Luigi replied. "It happens every single time we go on these adventures. Him and I both do our deeds for the kingdom, and then he just comes out in front of the blind crowd and takes every single bit of credit he can get, including all the things I did to help. When they look at me, all they see is a sorry excuse of a sidekick and not the hero I really was. Why? I don't get it."

"Luigi…"

By this point, Luigi was beginning to raise his voice and anger was starting to taint his rant.

"Why does my brother always get recognized for everything?! If it weren't for me, he would probably be hanging over a spike pit in some isolated backwater country infested with Bowser's evil cronies! I SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED AS AN EQUALLY HEROIC PERSON! HELL, I WAS THE ONE THAT KILLED BOWSER!"

"Luigi…"

"But you know what's going to happen when we reach the shore? Everyone is going to flock to my brother and make over him and credit him as the defeater of the evil Koopa King!"

Luigi started to weep a little as his tone simmered down.

"Next thing I know, you two will be running up to the castle to do the _wild thing _in the bedroom again, just like what happened last night. Me, I'll be stuck in my house wondering why the hell I'm even alive on this planet! I might even end up considering to kill myself…It's not like anyone would care…"

"Luigi!" Peach yelled. "You…I don't even know what to say to that! But I can tell you that you are being unpredictable! How could you say those things?! Why would you even consider killing yourself?! You have too much to live for!"

"I'm so sorry…" Luigi said, his eyes starting to water a little more. He tried to hide his sadness, but it did not work. "I wish I could tell you what's really on my mind, but I just can't. It would interfere with your relationship with Mario."

"Why can't you just tell me?" Peach asked in a somewhat frustrated tone. "What makes this thought on your mind so sensitive?"

Luigi's eyes were now dripping with tears. As much as he did not want to say it, his sadness and angst toward his brother ultimately got the best of him. He reached the breaking point and started crying in front of Peach.

"Peach…" Luigi cried. "_I love you_."

Peach gasped. It all made sense now, but deep down it knocked the wind out of her chest. She was suddenly overwhelmed with feelings of sadness and regret. She did not know what to think of Luigi's confession.

"Luigi…I didn't know…"

"I'm so sorry, princess…" Luigi said. "I couldn't keep it a secret anymore. I should've told you when I had the chance."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Peach asked in a slightly quivered voice.

"Mario got to you first. I was too shy…" Luigi replied. He continued to sob and Peach could only stand and say nothing as sadness started to creep into her like a contagious disease. She felt bad for Luigi, but at the same time, she was struggling to figure out to explain all of this to Mario. She loved him and Mario loved her, but so did Luigi. She and Luigi were good friends, but now that she knew his true feelings for her, she found herself in a dilemma. If Peach remained with Mario, she was afraid Luigi would do something bad to himself. As much as she wanted Luigi to be happy, there was nothing Peach could do unless she broke Mario's heart in the process. She made her way for the door as tears started pouring down her face.

"Peach? Where are you going?" Luigi asked.

"I have to think…" she replied as she made her way back onto the boat deck.

_What have I done?!_ Luigi thought. _I should've kept my mouth shut._

* * *

Mario was sitting in one of the outdoor lounge chairs when Peach approached him from the boat cabin. He was surprised when he saw her walk out with a negative expression on her face. Obviously things did not go well with Luigi, but Mario felt like asking anyway just to be sure that it was not anything else.

"So, Peach. What did Luigi say when you asked him what problem was."

Peach's mind was still racing to find the proper response, but she was not having any success.

"He didn't want to talk about it." Peach lied. "He said that it was too sensitive for him to explain." _Well, at least that was truthful_. "I tried to help him, but he was too upset to talk about anything with me."

"Just give him some time, he'll come through eventually." Mario replied. "My brother has always been like this whenever he got upset."

"I see." Peach said. She was about to walk over to the other side of the boat to get a better view of the castle when Mario stopped her.

"What is it, Mario?" she asked.

"Peach, I have a surprise for you." Mario said. "I was going to keep it a surprise until we got back to the castle, but my heart just couldn't bear to wait any longer. I've waited a long time for this…"

Mario reached into one of the front pockets of his overalls and pulled out a small white box. He got up from his chair and kneeled in front of Peach before he opened it, revealing a beautiful diamond ring that was crafted by one of the finest jewelers in the Mushroom Kingdom. Luigi was still fresh in her mind, but she knew what was about to happen.

"Mario…"

"Princess Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom," Mario said, "_will you marry me?_"

* * *

**Hey, everyone. I went ahead and started a brand new story and there are already a lot of things going on in the first chapter. What do you think? **

**I tried to explain a little bit of this at the end of the summary, but the character limit prevented me from doing so. Basically, the reason why Luigi was so angry and depressed to begin with was because of the jealousy he has towards his brother. For one, Mario always received the credit after each of their adventures and secondly, he always got the girl... Seems reasonable enough. I mean, who wouldn't get mad after hearing moaning and banging on the next room, knowing that your brother or best friend or someone you knew was having fun with the girl of your dreams? I've been in similar situations myself. **

**The next few chapters will lead into the main plot of the story. This story has nothing in common with the other three Mario stories I have already posted, since it follows a different timeline. Let me know what you think! If people decide they want to see more, I will gladly add more chapters. In the meantime, I will be waiting for some reviews, so don't hesitate to voice your opinion! This is merely an experimental piece of writing at the moment, but may grow into something more. We'll see what happens :)**

**saturn95**


	2. The Celebration and the After Party

**The Celebration and the "After Party"**

* * *

People shouted and confetti rained from the sky as the Mario Brothers and Princess Peach made their way down the cobbled streets of Toad Town in a luxurious parade float in honor of their safe return from the Darklands. It would be the last time the Mario Brothers would ever see this happen as they have finally accomplished a feat that had only been dreamt about for the past two decades ever since the Koopa King's initial uprising. Now that Bowser was out of the picture, an era of peace and tranquility was in store for the Mushroom Kingdom. Looking around the busy crowds, Mario and Luigi could make out some familiar faces, including Yoshi and a few of his friends from Dinosaur Land, rulers from other kingdoms that were allies of the Mushroom Kingdom, Toad, Toadsworth, and even a few Koopas that had already left Bowser and his evil ways before his downfall. There was even a moment when Mario and Luigi caught sight of their cousins Wario and Waluigi amongst the cheering audience, though they still wore their typical look of disgust towards the brothers. Still, the atmosphere in the city was alive with festivity, more so than it ever had in all the Christmas celebrations that took place in the last few years or even the celebrations that took place at the turn of the millennium. It was the happiest day the Mushroom World had ever seen.

Yet, despite the booming happiness, there was mental distress taking place in the minds of Mario, Luigi, and Peach, even though their facial expressions said otherwise. It was especially hard on Peach, since she got herself into a horrible dilemma. She still could not get over the fact that Mario asked her to marry him and that she lied about Luigi to him to cover his confession about his true feelings for her just before it happened. She felt very horrible, and now that Mario's marriage proposal had been postponed, she felt even worse. For the past year or so, Peach had the feeling Mario would pop the question at any time. But now that Luigi revealed his true feelings for her, it left her confused and in a state of intense guilt and sorrow. She knew Mario had deep feelings for her, since he was the first one to come out about his feelings. But now that she knew about Luigi's love for her, there was no way she could make both of them happy without starting any conflicts between the two brothers. Peach wanted Mario to understand her situation, but there was no way she could do that unless she told him the truth about Luigi. But if he knew about it, it would potentially ruin her relationship with the red-clad plumber. At the same time, Peach felt sorry for Luigi and wanted to make him feel happy, but was ashamed of the new feelings she might start to feel towards him. As much as she tried to rid herself of these thoughts, Peach found it difficult to overcome. Both Mario and Luigi were very handsome in her eyes and they both loved her, but Peach could not go with one of them without disappointing the other. At the same time, she did not want to find herself in the middle of a love triangle. This fear was the very reason she did not answer Mario's marriage proposal.

It was this indecisiveness that was now taking a toll on Mario. He had been waiting for the perfect moment to ask the princess to marry him, and he figured that the death of the evil Bowser would be the perfect time to ask. But now that Mario was suddenly put on hold, his hopes of starting a new life with the princess had been dashed. He almost wanted to break down and cry. It was just the other night he and Peach were making love to each other and saying flattering remarks to each other. Surely, there was no way that their relationship would falter after that. But he still did not understand why it had to happen the way it did. _Did I ask at the wrong time? Was it too sudden for her? Was something holding her back? Does even want to get married? What did I do wrong?_ Mario thought back to their arrival on the boat and remembered how Peach acted after she went into the cabin to talk to Luigi. A flood of questions started pouring into his mind. As the float continued taking them though the confetti-covered street, Mario looked over to his brother and started becoming suspicious. Something did not add up.

Luigi, on the other hand, was obviously still upset over the fact that Mario initially stole Peach from him and took almost all of the credit for their adventures. But now he was upset for making _Peach_ upset after he confessed his love for her. How would he ever make up for getting it off his chest? Would Peach ever look at him the same way again? But more importantly, what would his brother think of him if he found out about what he said to Peach? These and many other questions flooded Luigi's mind with fear and anxiety on top of the already powerful feelings of anger and depression he was experiencing. It was a miracle that he was not having a mental breakdown. The thought of his brother's hotheadedness made Luigi shiver as he contemplated the probability that he dug his own grave. He looked over at Peach and saw that she was too busy with the crowd. But when he saw his brother, Luigi saw that his eyes were transfixed on him. It was apparent that Mario suspected him of something, and he was not happy about it either. Luigi gulped.

* * *

The festivities continued into the evening in the large outdoor courtyard at Peach's castle. While the princess was busying herself with the rest of the guests by the outdoor fireplace, Mario and Luigi were busy doing their own thing though they stayed as far away from each other as possible. There were plenty of drinks, music, dancing, games, as well as a carousel for people to ride on. Mario was sitting near one of the large kegs of strong, locally brewed beer that had been set up. He was already on his third helping of the alcoholic beverage, though he did not feel the slightest bit buzzed. As much as he wanted to be with the girl of his dreams, Mario did not get up to find her out of fear that she may get upset. He was too busy contemplating what had happened on the boat that morning between Peach and Luigi and was also still trying to decipher the unusual reaction to his marriage proposal. But no matter how hard he tried, he just could not figure it out. Things had been going downhill for him ever since it happened. Mario forgot why he even suspected Luigi of anything and wished that they were both having a good time as brothers. But he knew that would not happen anytime soon, since Luigi was still angry at him for some unknown reason.

"Hey, Mario! Why aren't you having fun with the rest of us?" someone asked from behind him. Mario turned around and saw Toad. "Not too tired are you?"

"No." Mario replied, his voice quivering from the effects of the alcohol. "Just thinking right now… Something happened today."

"What happened?" Toad asked, not knowing what to expect.

"I proposed to Peach."

Toad's face dropped at the news and a huge grin appeared on his face.

"Oh my, gosh! This is exciting news! I must tell everyone else!"

Mario stopped him in his tracks.

"She never said yes or no."

"Oh…" Toad said, his facial expression more serious. "Why?"

"I don't know… It was when we were on the boat just as we were pulling towards the castle when I popped the question. I figured that right after Bowser's demise would be the perfect time to ask her, because I thought I knew for a fact that she would say yes. At first, she looked as though she was going to cry, but then she actually did cry. They weren't tears of joy either… They almost sounded regretful… After that, she just walked away like she was upset."

"That can't be good." Toad said. "But why would Peach, of all people, regret being in a relationship with you? You were the one that saved her from Bowser numerous times, after all. In fact, Peach was just outside not too long ago talking to some people about you and your brother and the great things you two have done to protect the kingdom. You guys have done this kingdom a huge deed for keeping her safe. Now that Bowser is gone for good, the Mushroom Kingdom has many peaceful years ahead of it, all thanks to you and Luigi. Where is your brother anyway?"

"I'm not sure." Mario said as his eyes started to get watery.

"Are you okay, Mario?"

"The truth is…" he said as the alcohol got the best of him. "Luigi deserves a lot more credit than he received in _all _of our adventures. If it weren't for him, I probably would've died in the hands of Bowser years ago…"

"What are you talking about?" Toad asked.

Mario paused, then resumed after wiping a tear.

"I can tell you this… He was the one that killed Bowser. I had nothing to do with that."

"Luigi killed Bowser?" Toad asked. "So Peach's rumors are true then! I can't believe he did not get that much attention today! Why didn't you or Luigi say anything about that?"

"He's been mad at me all day." Mario said, his tone now more serious than before. "I first noticed it before I proposed to Peach on the boat and I still have yet to figure it out… What could I have possibly done to make him so angry, Toad?"

"I don't know, Mario." Toad said. "If I knew I'd tell you. Have you at least tried putting yourself in his shoes to figure out the problem?"

"I can't do that, Toad. Even though my brother is one of the closest people I know, he's still very hard to figure out sometimes. This would be one of those times."

"Well, if you ask me, based on what you've told me already, I think he may be mad at you because he thinks you're going to take almost all of the credit from him and give it to yourself. I've been watching you and your brother after each adventure and it seems as though Luigi is on a downward spiral. He's been on the downside very hard recently and it was right before the most recent of your adventures that his behavior really started to take a turn for the worse. I would say reverse the damage, but there's really nothing you can do about it. Your name is in the books and Luigi is hardly even mentioned..."

Mario could only stand in silence. The regret he felt was so overpowering that it almost felt like he was walking in quicksand. Somehow, in the middle of all this internal turmoil, Mario remembered the suspicions he had about Luigi earlier and his sadness melted away. Did Luigi say something to Peach to make her feel bad? It was only before she went to go talk to Luigi that Peach was acting perfectly fine around him. Did the princess _lie _about what Luigi said to her? He could not believe he could suspect her of such a thing, but it somehow seemed like the most probably explanation. There was only one way to know for sure.

"I think I know why Luigi is mad at me." Mario said. "Where was the last place you saw Peach?"

"Last time I saw her she was over by the outdoor fireplace talking to other important people." Toad replied. "Why?"

"Because I have a hunch that she knows something about Luigi that I don't."

* * *

Luigi was overlooking the expansive front garden of Peach's castle from a high balcony and staring out into the sea as a relaxing breeze blew from the north. The sky displayed vibrant shades of orange and red along the western horizon where the sun had already dipped below the watery horizon. Besides the growing darkness, it was evident that night was starting to creep in over the lovely landscape. There were a few pink clouds hanging high in the sky and Luigi caught a glimpse of a brilliant point in the western sky. It was not twinkling like a star, so he immediately knew it was a planet. Venus probably.

There was still a lot of noise coming from the party below, but Luigi wanted to get away from it all. He knew Mario would get most of the attention anyway, so there really was no incentive for him to be there. He was still deeply troubled by Peach's reaction to his confession and how it ultimately set off a chain reaction and interfered with Mario's effort to take her hand in marriage. Even though the Mushroom Kingdom was predicted to have a bright future, things would never be the same between him and his Mario ever again. There would be no more adventures now that Bowser was gone, and he knew that he and his brother would inevitably go their separate ways. How Luigi wished he could have ended up with Peach instead… He almost wished he did not kill Bowser because of it. Either way, Luigi knew it would not end well for him. He would go down in history as a forgotten protector for the Mushroom Kingdom and Mario would forever be the greatest hero the world has ever seen. Never before in his life had Luigi felt more lonely and insignificant.

_I'm just a shadow following in my brother's footsteps_. Luigi thought. _I'm just Mario's lame sidekick. No one cares about me enough to remember my name! I wish just one person could understand my situation!_

Luigi looked up at the sky. _Is there anyone out there who knows how I feel?!_

There was nothing else he could do. Luigi buried his head in his arms and started to sob silently. There was no point in letting others hear his misery.

"Luigi! There you are! Everyone's looking for you!" said a tom-boyish voice.

He turned around and was surprised to see a woman standing in the stone doorway. Luigi had seen her earlier in the crowd, but not by herself. Almost instantly, he forgot about Peach and was entranced by the woman's beauty, whose figure was comparable to that of a Greek goddess. Her eyes sparkled like two lovely aquamarines and her skin was a light golden tan. She had shoulder-length auburn hair and she was wearing a fancy golden-yellow dress that was similar in style to Peach's pink dress, though instead of a large blue jewel in front, she had a large green jewel that had lacing around it in the shape of flower petals. The woman also had similar looking earrings. When she saw the tears rolling down Luigi's face, she was quick to respond.

"Are you alright?" she asked, wiping the tears from his face with a handkerchief. "What seems to be wrong, Luigi?"

"It's a long story." Luigi replied, still trying to get over the fact that he was touched by this woman, whoever she may be. "You wouldn't understand."

"It's about _Mario _isn't it?" she asked.

Luigi was stupefied. It's as if his plea for comfort had been answered by a supernatural entity.

"H…How did you know?" he asked.

"Peach told me everything." she said. "She said that you were upset over the _fact_ that Mario has been stealing much of the credit for each of your adventures. She also told me that you also had feelings for her, and that you are unable to express them because she's currently in a relationship with Mario...Trust me, I know what's going on. I've seen it happen for a long time."

"You have?" Luigi asked. "Who are you?"

"Good question." the woman replied. "I'm Peach's cousin, Daisy. I am the princess of the neighboring kingdom of Sarasaland. I must say that it is a real pleasure to meet you Luigi."

_Another princess? _Luigi thought as he shook Daisy's hand. _Wow. Why didn't I know about this before? At least I know that Peach isn't mad at me…_

"There's another thing I forgot to mention." Daisy said. "Peach told me to tell you not to worry about her. She said she forgives you for fessing up about your feelings and that it was the right thing to do."

_That's strange. _Luigi thought. _I thought she would still be mad at me_.

"Come on, Luigi." Daisy said. "Let's go back down and join the others."

She held her hand up to Luigi's and he grabbed onto hers. So delicate were Daisy's hands that Luigi almost forgot that he was upset at Mario. Still, his troubling thoughts were deeply engrained in his mind as they both made their way to the grand staircase leading to the front garden.

* * *

**Hey guys! I apologize for the long wait. Having no Internet really sucks... **

**Anyway, this was the second chapter of _The Two Sides of Luigi_. I hope you guys enjoyed it. There's not much that I can really say about it, other than the fact I introduced a few more characters into the plot, particularly Daisy. She will most certainly have an important role in the story later on. **

**Anyway, I will see you in the next update ;) The next chapter is when things will start to get really interesting. **

**saturn95**


	3. The Amulet

**The Amulet**

* * *

It was official. Luigi was entranced by Daisy's presence and was finding himself on the love spiral. The more he thought about the possible future he could have with her, the less he thought about Peach. Mario could have her as much as he wanted as much as he cared at that point. The only thing that bothered him now was the fact that his brother was still seen as the sole hero of the Mushroom Kingdom; at least that was how Luigi saw it. There was one other thing that seemed to eat at Luigi's mind. If Peach was feeling alright and was brave enough to tell Daisy about his situation, did that mean Mario knew about it as well? If so, should he even go near his brother? Luigi decided to play it safe and stay away from Mario for a while. Instead, he refocused his attention on Daisy, the lovely princess of the neighboring kingdom of Sarasaland. It was when they were almost to the bottom of the staircase when he suddenly found himself falling a little ways down the stairs until he made it to the ground. Daisy was quick to rush to his aid.

"Are you alright, Luigi?" Daisy asked.

Luigi, who was blindly staring at the princess, suddenly came back to his senses and realized what he was doing. His cheeks turned red.

"Yeah…yeah I'm alright." Luigi replied. "Just a little tired from all the travelling I've been doing the past week. It puts me in a daze."

"I see." Daisy said, giving a slight chuckle. Her cheeks had turned red also. "Come on, everyone else is this way."

Daisy reached and grabbed Luigi's hand before helping him back onto his feet. For a moment, they both briefly stared at each other and smiled. _She's holding my hand!_ Luigi thought as Daisy guided him through the expansive foyer of Peach's Castle. _I can't believe the princess of Sarasaland is holding my hand! I think I'm going to faint! Speaking of Sarasaland, I still have something in my front pocket from when Mario and I ventured through there over a week ago…_

Just as Luigi was about to pull out the object, he suddenly had a flashback.

* * *

Sarasaland, 10 days earlier

The sun was beating down on the desert as hard as it could. The heat dissipating from the sand made the entire landscape feel like a huge frying pan and the desert winds did not help much either, as they only made the situation worse. Mario and Luigi had been walking through the sand and burning in the sun for the past hour and could not bear to be outside any longer. Their clothes were drenched in their own perspiration and they did not have any more water in their canteens left to drink. They only thing they could think about was finding the cold liquid so they could take a nice quenching drink to relieve their thirst. That was when they both saw something in the distance that just like another deceptive mirage. But when they looked closer, they could see palm trees around the so-called mirage. The brothers knew that they were in for a treat, so they made their way through the hot sand and towards the oasis as fast as they could while being careful not to make themselves faint.

"Yes! Water!" Mario said with a dry mouth. "We've been saved, Luigi!"

"I know." Luigi replied. "Finally, I can take a much-deserved break from all this running around in the hot sun! I still don't understand why we didn't wait until nightfall to continue our journey…"

"The quicker we get to Bowser, the quicker we can take him down and save the princess." Mario said. "I thought I told you that already."

"That's what you _always_ say!" Luigi said. "I'm still surprised you refer to Peach as _the princess_."

"Now's not the time for this." Mario said. "Let's hurry up and get to that oasis before we die of a heatstroke. I've been feeling very light-headed for the past half hour."

"Same here."

They were in luck. It was not long before they arrived at the shady oasis and took refuge under the shade of the giant desert palm trees. Already, it felt twenty degrees cooler than it did in the sun, though it was still unbearably hot. A full two minutes passed before the Mario Brothers found themselves drinking from the nearby pond, whose water was as clear as polished crystal. The water was so cool that Mario and Luigi could not help themselves but take their clothes off and swim around the pond to cool themselves off for a good half hour. After they finished their refreshing swim, Mario and Luigi got out of the pond and put their clothes back on before sitting on a nearby large partially-buried boulder to get some rest before they decided to press onward.

"This is the last time Bowser is going to pull something like this!" Mario said. "I'm sick of doing this. I mean, if he was truly bent on taking over the Mushroom Kingdom, he would give up on kidnapping Princess Peach. Or at least that's what I would do if I was him."

"If I was Bowser, I would create an all-out invasion on the Mushroom Kingdom." Luigi replied. "I agree with you…This whole kidnap-the-princess drama needs to stop. What we need to do is kill Bowser once and for all…Only then will all of the drama be a thing of the past."

"We've already tried that many times during our past adventures with no success." Mario replied. "What makes you think we can kill Bowser this time?"

Luigi did not answer. He was busy looking down at the boulder they were sitting on.

"Um…Luigi?"

"Take a look at all of these markings on the boulder." Luigi said. "They look like ancient hieroglyphics."

Mario got down to take a look and saw that Luigi was right. The hieroglyphics were barely discernable, but he was still able to tell that they were there. Not being fluent in the ancient language, Mario did not even attempt to read them, but they sparked his curiosity nonetheless, as it did with Luigi.

"I wonder what all of these are saying." Luigi said. "I really wish I could read these."

"I wish I could too, Luigi." Mario replied. "But we really don't have much time to try and figure these out. We have to save Peach from Bowser."

"Wait a minute…" Luigi interrupted. "There's something weird on this rock. It looks like a button…"

"A button? Are you sure it's not just a natural bump on the rock?"

"Here, let me put my finger on it and find out." Luigi said.

"Luigi. It's just a bump."

"I don't know, Mario. It looks too circular to be just a bump. I think it could be more than that."

"Let me see."

Luigi pointed out the bump and Mario began to examine it more closely. He reached out and touched it, and was surprised to find that it sank into the boulder. For a moment, there was complete silence between the brothers as they expected something else to happen, but nothing seemed to be coming their way.

"Maybe we should just keep going, Luigi." Mario said.

Then, the ground started to shake a little. Gradually, the shaking started to get stronger as if an earthquake was about to occur.

"Um, Mario… What's happening?" Luigi asked.

"I don't know…"

The ground beneath them was now shaking violently and the brothers could now hear the sounds of shifting sands and splitting rocks coming from just beneath them. They tried to run away, but Mario and Luigi suddenly fell over as their feet were taken by surprise by the presence of a large hole that had just formed in the ground. They screamed as they fell into the ravine, only to find themselves land on a sand slide where they began to slide their way down into an unknown underground area. Mario led the way down the fast-moving sand with Luigi close behind.

"MARIO!" Luigi shouted. "GRAB MY HAND!"

"I'M TRYING!" Mario shouted.

The brothers tried to grab each other's hands, but their effort was short lived. Mario and Luigi suddenly fell down another hole and fell a little ways before landing hard on their backs in a dark cavern. They waited for a few moments for their bodies to recover before they got up and brushed the excess sand off of their bodies. The earthquake had since stopped and the cave was very quiet and pitch-black. The only sounds that could be heard were the faint whispers of sand grains falling from the newly made skylight where Mario and Luigi fell from. From the looks of it, the cave they were standing in branched off into another cavern that lead off into a dark passageway. This sparked the curiosity of the two brothers.

"Are you alright, Mario?" Luigi asked.

"Never been better." he replied in a slightly sarcastic tone. "How are we going to get out of here now?"

"Not the way we came. That's for sure." Luigi replied. "Perhaps there's a way through that cave passage?"

Luigi pointed into the dark abyss in front of them. As much Mario hated to admit it, his brother was right. There was still the fear that they were trapped underground, but the cave was their only hope at this point. Mario pulled out a fire flower and gained its fire power before making a fireball 'searchlight' in his right arm. To his surprise, there was an abandoned torch hanging on the nearby wall. Mario took the torch and used the fire ball in his hand to light it. Now the brothers could see without going through their entire fire flower supply and explore the cave at their own pace. Mario started leading the way and Luigi followed closely behind.

"This place is so creepy." Mario said.

"Honestly, it's no different than the other times we've been underground after going through all of those pipes." Luigi replied, his voice echoing throughout the huge cave. "But something tells me that this cave is different than all of the other ones we've explored during our adventures."

"What makes you so sure that it's different?" Mario asked.

"I don't know… I just have that feeling…"

The brothers continued down into the downward-sloping cave with extreme caution. Just a little ways down, Luigi was able to spot another unlit torch on the cave wall. He took it and used the flame from Mario's torch to light it. About another hundred feet down the sloped, sand-hued cave, Mario and Luigi spotted what appeared to be carved doorway just ahead. There were hieroglyphics inscribed above the opening, but the brothers were unable to decipher their meaning, since they lacked the proper knowledge to go about the task. After all, they were just a couple of plumbers trying to save a princess. Still, it was nevertheless a curious moment for them both. They proceeded down the hallway beyond and began to get the chills. As dark as it was inside the hallway, Mario and Luigi were thankful to be out of the blistering sunlight.

"Somehow, I'm getting the impression that we shouldn't be here at all." Luigi said. "Are you sure there isn't another way out?"

"I'm pretty sure." Mario replied. "You think either of us will be able to climb back out of that hole anytime soon? I wouldn't count on it."

"What if we're trapped down here _forever_?" Luigi asked.

"You say that almost every time we go underground, Luigi." Mario replied.

Luigi said nothing. As the brothers continued down the hallway, they reached a point where the overall atmosphere of the place seemed to change. It felt like their surroundings were suddenly being invaded by negative energy, as if they were in the presence of an evil demon. Even Mario was beginning to have second thoughts about the place. That was when the brothers heard a rumbling sound coming from behind them. Fearing the worst, they both looked back to see what it was, but could not see because of the overwhelming darkness. By now, words could not describe the fear that Mario and Luigi felt.

"I don't what that is, but we need to run!" Mario said. "Quick! Down the hall!"

_Nah. I think I'll just stand here_. Luigi thought after Mario made those obvious remarks. He sprinted down the hall after his brother as the rumbling sound grew closer to them. A few moments passed by before the brothers emerged into a larger room and finally saw the terror that was following them down the hall. It was a giant boulder trap that had been deliberately set up by the ancients. The brothers immediately got the hint that the place they were in was hiding something important. But what? Searching for answers, Mario and Luigi started looking around the room as they continued catching their breath after the chase down the hall. The boulder had already hit the wall, so there was no reason for them to run anymore. However, there was a reason for them to get excited.

"What's up there, Luigi?" Mario said. To the right of the hallway the brothers emerged was another hallway that led into another room that was brightly lit and seemed to be filled with seemingly endless stacks of treasure and artifacts.

"I don't know, Mario." Luigi replied. "Let's go take a look at it."

Mario and Luigi ran down the hall and up a grand staircase into the large room and could not believe their eyes. Stacks of golden relics, as well uncountable numbers of the gemstones and pieces of ancient jewelry flooded the chamber, as well as stacks of ancient chests that been closed for thousands of years. It was a sight unlike anything the two brothers have seen before. All they wanted to do was look through every single box for things they could take back as souvenirs.

"So this is what they were hiding…" Luigi said. "Look at all of this treasure!"

"We're going to be so rich!" Mario said. "I guess there's no harm in looking through all of this loot for a bit."

"I'll search over here and you go search over there." Luigi said.

"Alright, sounds good." Mario replied. "Let me know if you find anything interesting."

"Will do."

Almost immediately, Luigi started digging through all of the gold coins and other artifacts that were scattered throughout the room and Mario did the same. They almost forgot that they were supposed to be on a quest to rescue the princess from Bowser.

About ten minutes passed and the brothers were still sifting their hands through all of the wonderful treasures inside the room. That was when Luigi noticed something peculiar as he was moving around the chests. Hidden deep beneath all the other chests, Luigi found a box that looked different from all of the other ones. It was metallic and around the size of a regular cardboard shoebox and had numerous holes and grooves along the outside of it. This suggested a very complicated locking mechanism. There was also an inscription written in ancient hieroglyphics along the base of the metal lid.

"I wonder what's hidden in this box." Luigi asked himself as he tried to pry it open. He turned over to his brother, who was still busy searching through his pile of loot. "Hey, Mario! Come check this out!"

"What is it, Luigi?" Mario asked as he approached Luigi.

"Check out this strange box!"

Mario looked at the box in Luigi's hands and started to ponder over it. It was very strange, after all. It was nothing like everything else that was in the treasure room.

"How are you even supposed to open this?" he asked.

"I'm not sure." Luigi replied. "It looks as though it's run by some kind of weird locking mechanism that doesn't use a key…Do you mind if I see it again?"

"Here, take it." Mario said.

Luigi took the box from Mario, but then immediately dropped it as he grabbed his right hand and cried out in pain. Looking at his hand, Luigi was shocked at the sight of blood on his white glove where the box somehow managed to cut right through it and leave a large wound on his palm.

"Are you alright, Luigi?! What happened?" Mario asked.

"The box cut me somehow!" Luigi yelled as he tried coping with the pain in hand.

Mario saw the cut and gasped.

"Ow! Doesn't look like that's going away for a while."

"You think?" Luigi replied. Mario looked down at the box and saw something frightening. There were four huge knives jutting out of the box, one from each of the strange grooves that made their way around the sides of it. The box had been rigged with traps.

"You think this box might be guarding something important?" Mario asked as he carefully picked up the metallic contraption.

"Here, give it to me." Luigi said. "If this thing cuts me again, it's your turn to suffer from the pain."

"There's got to be a way to open that thing." Mario replied. "Wait here, I think there's something in here that might help. Don't do anything else that might hurt you."

Luigi ignored him and continued searching the outside of the box for clues on how to open it. That was when he found a small switch mechanism on the right side of the box. He tried to move it, but it was jammed. He tried harder until he was finally able to move the switch and make a clicking sound with the box. It was now obvious that the locking mechanism was driven by the tiny switch. When Luigi went to open it, the lid still would not budge. He checked the other side and found another switch, which proved to be easier to pull.

"Here, Luigi." Mario said as he held out a sword. "This might help."

"Got it." Luigi said as he slowly removed the lid. When he looked inside, he was surprised at the contents inside. There was only one item inside, an amulet in the shape of a scarab beetle that had beautiful rubies and emeralds encrusted on it.

"Well, what's inside?" Mario asked.

"It's an amulet." Luigi replied as he reached down into the box to grab it. When he touched and grabbed it, a mysterious red aura started to develop and intensify around it. Then the enigmatic light shout out of the amulet and went straight into Luigi's body, knocking him to the ground in the process and leaving him unconscious. Mario rushed over to help him when something else suddenly happen. Another aura of light appeared, but this time, it was white and it took the shape of a man. Mario could only stare at it in awe as it started to talk to him in the dead language of the ancient Sarasalandians. He was unable to understand what the light figure was saying, but Mario could tell in the man's voice and in his body language that he was angry. For what? Were they invading a forbidden zone? Did they somehow destroy or even contaminate valuable property? Mario's guess was about as good as anyone else's. The rant lasted for about a minute before the white aura disappeared and Luigi suddenly regained consciousness. Mario rushed over to him.

"Luigi! Are you alright?" Mario asked for the second time.

"Yeah. I'm alright." Luigi said. "What happened?"

"I was hoping you'd tell me." Mario said. "What was the red light that went into your body? And what exactly is that thing you took from the box?"

"I have no idea." Luigi replied. "All I remember seeing was an angry pharaoh that was upset at me for some reason after I was knocked out."

"I saw him too." Mario said. "Something tells me that whatever you found in that box is bad luck. Maybe you should put it back before other bad things happen."

"Well…" Luigi said. "I went through so much trouble trying to get that box open…"

"Luigi, just leave the amulet inside the box." Mario said. "I really don't trust it."

"But it's so pretty…"

"LUIGI!"

"Alright! Alright! I'll put it back."

"Good. Now, let's get out of here and find out way back up to the surface so we can continue chasing Bowser and his cronies."

As Mario headed towards the doorway, Luigi took the amulet to the box, but then stopped and looked at the scarab-shaped beauty in his hands.

_I have to impress Peach with this if I want to end up stealing her heart_. Luigi thought. _Besides killing Bowser, I think this might be the only other chance I'll have to get into a relationship with her. I need to take this with me. I don't care what Mario says about it. I just want to show Peach how much I care for her before he does…_

Luigi glanced back towards the doorway and saw that his brother was looking away from the room. He then looked back at the amulet and was quick to make up his mind. The choice was obvious. He had to impress Peach once she was rescued from Bowser. While Mario still had his back turned to the room, Luigi took the amulet and dropped it into his front pocket…

* * *

Back to Present Day

Sure enough, the amulet was still in Luigi's front pocket. He pulled out the red and green scarab and went to show it to Daisy, but she was quick to see it before he turned his body to show her.

"What is that you have in your hand?" she asked.

"It's an amulet." Luigi replied as he held it next to a nearby light fixture near the front door of the castle.

"Wow! This amulet is so beautiful!" Daisy said. "Where did you find it?"

"I found it in an underground tomb in Sarasaland during my adventure with Mario over a week ago. It was hidden in a box that was fixed with a nasty knife trap. It got my right hand pretty good, but at least I had some stitches with me at the time."

"I'll bet." Daisy replied. "Still, I had no idea that you were fond of relics from the past!"

"Why do you say that?" Luigi asked.

"Because I am too."

Just as they both were about to cross the bridge over the moat and towards the large and heavily populated and brightly lit front garden, Luigi and Daisy were suddenly greeted by the sight of Princess Peach running towards them with a look of concern on her face.

"There you guys are!" she said. "I take it that you two were getting to know each other. Where were you guys?"

_Peach set me up with her! _Luigi thought. _It all makes sense now. She still wanted to be with my brother, so she went ahead and introduced me to Daisy… That's okay. I'm already in love with Daisy and she seems to love me too. This is perfect!_

"We were on the castle's giant balcony." Daisy replied. "Luigi and I were just talking about stuff."

"I see." Peach said as she turned her attention towards Luigi. "Are you feeling better, Luigi? I was worried that you were ready to leave already."

"Yeah. I feel better." Luigi replied. "Have you seen my brother at all?"

"Mario's been looking for you. He wants to talk to you. He didn't sound too happy when he and I were talking… I told him everything."

_Oh shit! Mario knows about what happened on the boat earlier today! I'm so dead!_

"You what?"

"I'm sorry, Luigi. But if Mario wants to marry me, I have to be honest with him. I can't just keep secrets from him like that. I'm sure you can understand that."

"Yeah…you're right…" Luigi said. "I should probably go find my brother and talk to him…"

"Can I come with you?" Daisy asked.

Luigi turned toward her and gave her a smile.

"I don't know." Luigi said. "I just hope that my brother didn't have too much alcohol… He can get pretty violent sometimes. I'd hate for you to get involved in a violent situation."

"I think he already had a few drinks when he came to talk to me." Peach interrupted. "Because when I was talking to him, some of his words were slurred and he didn't seem in the right mind to use his judgment at full capacity."

"Is that him coming over to us right now?" Daisy asked, pointing to the other side of the stone bridge. Luigi looked up and saw Mario walking towards them as if he was going to pick a fight with someone. He swallowed his own saliva and began fearing the worst from him.

_Great! _Luigi thought. _Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse!_

* * *

**And so the plot thickens... Luigi has been in possession of a mysterious amulet for the past ten days and he has been keeping it in his pocket the whole time, even though Mario initially told him to leave it inside the trap box. And now, just as him and Daisy make their way out to the castle's front garden, he learns that Peach told Mario everything that happened earlier in the day as Mario stomps his way across the bridge to have a talk with him. What could possibly go wrong? Stay tuned for the next chapter and see for yourself ;)**

**saturn95**


	4. The Bloody Argument

**The Bloody Argument**

* * *

Luigi just stood in fear. Never before had he seen his brother so angry. The skin in Mario's face was about as red as that of an aggravated wiggler. Luigi was just glad that he was still alive for the time being. But with Mario so mad, he knew that was about to change soon. Peach and Daisy could see Luigi's fear as they witnessed everything unfold before their eyes. They did not know what to expect from the potentially violent confrontation that was about to take place between the two brothers. They kept their distance to avoid becoming part of the conflict.

"Luigi, we need to talk!" Mario said as he walked up to his younger brother in somewhat of a straight line. There was no denying that alcohol was to blame for his erratic walking pattern.

"How could you make her feel that way, Luigi? Do you realize what you've done?!"

"Mario, please!" Luigi cried. "I know you're mad at me for what I said. And I realize that you are also not in your best position of judgment, judging by the scent of alcohol coming from your mouth. But there's something that you should know too…I just hate it when you steal the glory from me!"

"What are you talking about?!" Mario yelled. "You're the one that took from _me_! I waited so long to take Peach's hand in marriage, only to find that you had the same feelings for her as I did…You broke her heart, Luigi! What you did back there was totally selfish, and to think that I was going to apologize to you for being selfish…You should be ashamed of yourself!"

"Me? Selfish?" Luigi replied, his voice becoming more brave and serious as the anger started to build up inside him. "_You_ are the one that is selfish, and you know it!"

Mario went silent.

"Every adventure we've ever been on, you've always taken the credit for everything, and I was always seen as your stupid side-kick! Even after the dozens of times I saved your ass, especially during our latest saga together, you _still_ end up getting all the brownie points… Well, I've got a newsflash for you, Mario. _I _was the one that killed Bowser! _I_ was the one that saved _you_ from getting your head chopped off and your body thrown into lava! Even after all the things I've done over the years, guess who still gets every ounce of attention and glory…_You_…Doesn't that make you feel like crap?"

"SHUT UP, LUIGI! JUST SHUT UP!" Mario yelled, trying to mask his guilt and regret. "This discussion was not meant to be about you! It was supposed to be about you interfering with my future life with Princess Peach! Besides, you have your own mansion…"

"Is having a relationship with Peach all you care about?!" Luigi snapped.

"The question is, is that all _you_ care about?" Mario asked.

"NO! What I'm getting at is whether you care about anything other than your own well-being? If you did, then why would you bring Peach into this argument?"

"It sounds to me like all you care about is _your _own well-being!"

Luigi was now very angry with his brother. His growing resentment towards his brother was now starting to get the best of him.

"Listen to me, Mario. I don't what your problem is, but it sounds like you need to think more about others rather than yourself! The only reason you think I'm selfish is because you merely see me as someone who's trying to draw more attention to myself. But the truth is I never got the attention I deserved after all of the times we saved Princess Peach from Bowser. That's because you became so caught up in the spotlight that you stole my contributions to the effort in bringing down the evil dictator as if you were the one that performed those good deeds! It's the same thing as stealing someone else's writing and claiming it as your own! You should be deeply ashamed of yourself!"

By this point, Mario started to slowly walk away, but Luigi made sure he could every word he said as he neared the other end of the stone bridge.

"WHY DO YOU FEEL YOU MUST ALWAYS GET THE GIRL?! WHY DO YOU FEEL YOU MUST ALWAYS GET THE CREDIT?! WHY MUST YOU ALWAYS HAVE YOUR WAY?! WHY MUST YOU BE SO SELFISH AND COCKY?! YOU'RE THE WORST BROTHER EVER!"

Mario froze and stood at the end of the bridge for a moment before he turned back towards Luigi and walked right up to him.

"That really hurt, Luigi…" he said in his slightly drunken tone. "You want to know how much that hurt me, _brother_? Here, let me show you!"

In that moment, Mario quickly pulled out his right fist and threw out a swift and powerful punch to Luigi's face, sending him into the hard stone ground. Luigi felt his mouth without even realizing he still had his gloves on, but he still ended up seeing the stain from what he could now taste on his lips. Blood.

"You want another?! I'll give it to you!" Mario shouted as he readied another punch at his brother. But Luigi was quick to get back onto his feet before he could even aim. Instead, Luigi returned the favor to Mario and gave him a bloody mouth. The result was catastrophic and the anger in each of the brothers' eyes was enough to cause panic between Peach and Daisy; the Mario Brothers were having an all-out brawl. Mario threw the next punch and Luigi threw the one after that. Each blow was enough to send tiny drops of blood from their mouths onto the ground.

"Mario! Luigi! Stop it!" Peach yelled. Her pleas did not phase either of the brothers.

"Stop it! Please!"

The next thing that happened caught everyone else by surprise. Despite his temporary alcoholic handicap, Mario managed to grab Luigi's entire body with both hands and then throw him to the ground hard. Luigi tried to get away, but Mario swiftly kicked him in the gut, causing Luigi to wail in pain. Daisy could only watch in horror. She wanted to help Luigi, but she was not sure what was going to happen next. Other individuals who witnessed the drama unfold from party in the front garden went over to the bridge to see the action up close. Despite the growing audience, Mario and Luigi continued their bloody dealings with each other, and there seemed to be no end in sight.

"They're going to kill each other!" Peach screamed. "Daisy! Do something!"

"What do you want me to do, Peach?!" Daisy asked in a panicked tone. "I don't want to get punched!"

"Anything!"

_This has to stop right now_. Daisy thought as she quickly came up with a solution. _Peach may not like what I'm about to do, but I need to save Luigi from Mario. Even though I've only met him just a few minutes ago in person, I've always loved Luigi ever since they first started rescuing my cousin from Bowser. I must do this for him…_ Once she made up her mind, Daisy slowly made her way towards the fighting brothers. Peach watched in terror as her cousin neared the danger zone.

"Daisy! What are you doing?!" Peach yelled.

"I'm going to end this fight!" Daisy replied as she started turning her attention towards Mario, who had Luigi pinned to the ground. He turned and saw the Sarasalandian princess looming over him.

"What do you want, sister?" Mario asked rudely.

"Leave Luigi alone!" Daisy said. "Or I'm going to make you wish you didn't go through me! And, since I am Peach's cousin, I think it would be best if you heeded my advice. If you don't follow through, then you will suffer the consequences!"

"What consequences?" the drunk Mario asked, kicking Luigi in gut once more.

"Don't you dare try that again!" Daisy replied in a raised angry tone. "You don't want to be embarrassed in front of all these people, do you?"

"Try me!" Mario replied, throwing another swift kick at his younger brother.

_Big mistake!_ Daisy thought as she started taking off her fancy royal gloves. After her hands became visible, she grabbed Mario by the collar of his red shirt and punched him in the nose so hard that he ended up falling backwards and landed on his back. Peach, as well the whole crowd that had since gathered around the action, was shocked at what just happened. Even Luigi, who was badly injured at this point, was surprised to see his new crush take an aim for Mario's face and knock him down. It made him love her that much more. Mario struggled to get back to his feet, but his drunken clumsiness was getting the best of him. He turned over to Daisy and glared at her.

"You b#% *!"

"Don't say I didn't warn you…" Daisy managed to say as she rushed over to help Luigi back onto his feet. His whole body was covered with blood stains and bruises as well as a few scratches from when he landed on the stone. The pain from the wounds was so intense it was hard for Luigi to move and bend his legs and arms.

"Ow… My body…" Luigi said.

"Are you alright?" Daisy asked.

"Yeah…but I'm not finished with him yet…"

Luigi tried going after Mario, but Daisy prevented him from doing that by restraining his body with her arms. Both brothers continued staring each other down like two angry chain-chomps.

"Peach! Grab Mario so he doesn't try going after Luigi again!" Daisy called out.

"Alright." Peach replied. She turned toward Daisy. "I appreciate you breaking up the fight, Daisy. Unfortunately, it looks as though I and Mario have a lot to talk about before considering our marriage."

Mario, who was now in Peach's grasp, looked up at Luigi with the same disintegrating glance as the one he gave to Bowser during their final confrontation a couple of days ago. He wanted to kill his brother.

"This was all your fault, Luigi!" Mario said as he tried going after him. Luigi turned his head toward him, but instead of replying with a nasty remark, he gave Mario his infamous death stare. The message behind it was clear; With the exception of feelings of jealousy, Luigi felt nothing but pure hatred toward his brother. The only thing that would make him feel any better at this point (at least at the moment) was if Mario was suddenly killed in some random freak accident. For Luigi, it did not matter whether or not Mario's feelings of hatred were the result of excessive alcohol in his system. The fight was bound to happen sooner or later, and it just happened to take place the night of their return from the Darklands.

* * *

It was already dark outside when Peach decided to take Mario back inside the castle. Daisy agreed to take Luigi back to his mansion to recover with the help of a few kind castle guards who volunteered to drive them both back. After the two princesses said their goodbyes, Peach dragged Mario through the front doors and started carrying him across the foyer and up the grand staircase before making her way down the hallway towards her bedroom. It was obviously not the best place to take Mario in his drunken state, but Peach did not want to attract too much attention from the other Toad servants and guards that walked through the castle late at night. Besides, she and Daisy already had too much attention drawn to themselves during the bloody fight between the brothers, especially when Daisy punched Mario square in the nose to end the fight. There was no question that the showdown between the two brothers would be in the tabloids by morning. By the time Peach reached her room with Mario in her arms, she was extremely exhausted. Even turning the doorknob felt like a chore. Nevertheless, Peach still made her way inside her large bedroom and was able to drag Mario inside before turning on her small night light above her nightstand.

With the soft orange light coming from the night light, Peach's bedroom was perhaps the coziest area inside the whole castle. The floor was fixed with soft and luxurious red carpet and the vaulted ceiling provided a relaxing view of the night sky that would be the envy of any amateur stargazer. Peach's bed was adorned with drapes and a tickle-me-pink hued bedspread and was situated right across from a large and beautifully-carved wooden entertainment center where she kept her flat-screen television, stereo system, as well as her music (most of which was kept on vinyl record disks). To the right of the entertainment center (the side closer to the door) was a large bookshelf, as well as two leather chairs and a small coffee table. This was where Peach would have tea breaks and do most of her reading (at least whenever she felt like it). From there, connected to the room just to right of the large and comfortable bed, was Peach's walk-in closet where all of her fancy royal dresses and other outfits were stored, as well as her large mirror and her jewelry box. The last distinguishable feature of Peach's bedroom was the large balcony, which overlooked much of the castle grounds and looked out into the hills and mountains in the distance. On summer nights, when cool breezes would blow, Peach would typically keep the French doors open and let the wind blow through her room so she would stay cool and fall asleep more easily. Tonight was not much different from any other summer night, with the exception of a bloody, bruised, and drunk Mario laying in the middle of her floor.

_Damn! Mario is so heavy! _Peach thought as she stared at him. _I wonder what kind of food he puts in that belly on a daily basis. At least he can work it all off with his jumping and acrobatics. But even then, it's still mind-blowing that he can do all that and not lose any weight! Anyway, that's beside the point. He needs to know how angry I am for what he did tonight. _

With the last bit of strength she had, Peach lifted Mario off the floor and set him in one of the leather chairs by her bookshelf and opened the balcony doors to let in the cool air from outside. Mario was barely awake at this point, but Peach was too angry to let him sleep on her bed. Instead, she gave him a swift slap in the face and woke him up before he had the chance to pass out.

"What was that for?" Mario asked in a slightly dazed tone of voice. Peach just glared at him.

"That was for all the trouble you caused at the large celebration this evening!" Peach said. Somehow I knew it would come down to this, but I hate watching you and your brother fight like that. Heroes are supposed to support each other and give respect to one another. What happened just recently was anything but that!"

"What are you talking about, princess? I wasn't the reason for all of Luigi's nonsense!"

Peach gave Mario another stern glare. She knew that Mario was not making sense in his judgment.

"What you did to Luigi was completely uncalled for!" she replied. "He never deserved to be treated that badly, especially for not having any real reason for it! You should be ashamed of yourself! You're just lucky I'm nice enough to bring you up to my room instead of making you walk back to your house!"

"Well, for your information, _Peach_, Luigi did deserve what he got… He interfered with our marriage plans by making you question your love for me…" Mario paused. "Not only that, but he accused me of being selfish…"

"Well, ever since you and Luigi fought, I have been questioning everything that's been going on between us!" Peach said. "As much as you want me to agree with what you're saying, I'm afraid I'm going to have to agree with Luigi. _You really are selfish_! Daisy saw it before I did, but I never believed her until now…"

"What are you saying?" Mario asked. "You don't love me anymore?"

"I just don't think this marriage will work. That is, if you think you need to beat people up just to prove a point about yourself, especially when you're drunk and not in the right mind to make valid claims. I thought you were more mature than that! But now I realize that you are about as mature as a teenage jock! As a result, I feel as though our future life together should stay on hold until you can get your act together!"

"On hold?! Peach, you can't do this!" Mario protested.

"Yes, Mario. _I can_." Peach stated as she walked over to the door. "I am the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, and I say that as soon as I get you a few bandages, you leave the castle at once!"

"But, darling!" Mario protested.

"No ifs, ands, or buts! _Especially buts_…" Peach replied. "Just be lucky I'm willing to help you clean off these bloody wounds of yours!"

"Why can't I stay here with you?" Mario asked.

"Because I said so, Mario!" Peach said in an angry tone. "My, God! Don't you listen at all to what people are saying to you? Besides, we both have a lot to think about before we decide to move towards a committed relationship. I've already given you a head-start, so I suggest you start thinking about everything you've done tonight and how you can make it better. If you can do that by tomorrow, I might reconsider. But right now, do me a favor and keep your distance from me after you receive your medical treatment from the doctors downstairs. I don't want any more drama from you!"

"Aren't you going to take me home?" Mario asked in a somewhat rude tone.

Peach turned around and glared at Mario. "You will be escorted home by my royal bodyguard! You've been drinking too much alcohol for one night as it is. Besides, it feels nice being in my own bedroom after being held captive by an evil Koopa King Dictator for over a week and a half. I'm sure you could agree…"

Mario was about to say something when his body suddenly did not feel very good. He tried to stay in line, but there was no use holding the sudden sickness back. Peach groaned as Mario hurled onto the floor next to the coffee table.

_Great! _Peach thought. _Not another mess to sort out!_

* * *

**Hey, guys! The next chapter is finally up! Looks like things didn't turn out so well for the Mario Brothers...After a gruesome confrontation that was broken up by Daisy, Mario and Luigi are now at odds with each other and have become brutal enemies. However, since Mario had too many shots of alcohol, he is at a disadvantage in the debate. Not only that, but his relationship with Peach is now at stake. Does Mario even realize this? **

**The next chapter will take place at Luigi's mansion with Luigi and Daisy. See you then! :)**

**saturn95 **


	5. Strange Happenings and Accusations

**Strange Happenings and Accusations**

* * *

"Are you sure you're alright?" Daisy asked as the horse-drawn carriage went down an avenue of large oak trees that were illuminated by beautifully crafted lamp posts. Luigi glanced over to her and nodded as if to say yes, but she knew that something else was on his mind. Whether or not it had anything to do with the day's events she was unsure of. But in the end, Daisy decided not to ask, for she did not want to be getting into Luigi's head for no apparent reason other than her own curiosity. Then, Luigi began to speak, but not before he reacted to the sharp pain in his stomach as a result of Mario's relentless kicking in that region.

"Thanks again for saving me from my own brother." Luigi said, his voice still shaky from the fight. "I don't know what his problem is, but I don't think I'll be seeing him again for a while. Nothing can describe the hatred I feel for him right now! UGH!"

"Take it easy, Luigi." Daisy replied. "I'm sure that by morning, all of this nonsense will become a thing of the past."

"I'm not sure if that will happen anytime soon." Luigi said. "Everything that my brother has done in the past has been building up on me these past few years, and now I'm at a point where I just can't hide these feelings anymore. I don't mean to try and sway your opinions about Mario, but I think he's a total asshole…Everything I do, I swear, he always has to one-up me. And, whenever I try to do things or talk with him, he has a hard time acknowledging my presence. The only times he ever really does that nowadays is when he's angry or drunk."

"And both?" Daisy inquired, knowing that Mario was both angry and drunk when he and Luigi fought in front of the castle.

"Yeah… He's just not the same Mario I used to know back in the day."

"So, Luigi. How long before we get to your house?" Daisy asked.

"We're actually getting very close to it right now." Luigi replied. All we have to do is continue down this road and continue our way up to the top of the hill. It's very hard to miss."

"Is that so?" Daisy asked.

"Very much." Luigi replied as he went back to examining his cuts and bruises. "I really need to bandage myself when we get there."

"Don't worry, I'll help you when we get there." Daisy said. "You've been through too much tonight."

"Thank you, Princess Daisy." Luigi said.

"Please, just call me Daisy."

* * *

The carriage made its way up the tree-crowded hill until it reached a clearing where a large metal gate stood between two large brick walls. Daisy was quick to observe the intricate designs that were made from the metal bars and saw that they formed a large 'L'. Obviously it stood for Luigi's first name, though it was still unclear to her how large his estate would be. That was when she saw the large brightly-lit mansion through the gate and sat in awe. Everything about the mansion was amazing. The path leading up to the house, as well the gigantic well-kept gardens on each side, was lit by fancy solar-powered night lights. Daisy could see large trees and hedge plants forming patterns across the recently trimmed grass, as well different varieties of flowers in all shapes and colors such as red, orange, yellow, pink, purple, and blue. However, the most noticeable features about the front garden were the twin fountains on each lawn, which almost resembled the large fountain in Peach's castle garden. The house itself sat at the top of a small hill which had a set of stone stairs built into it that lead up to the front door. From what Daisy could tell, based on the exterior of the mansion, it consisted of two stories, possibly three. The carriage came to a halt at the gates.

"Well, here we are." Luigi said.

"This place is huge!" Daisy exclaimed.

Luigi and Daisy thanked the castle guards for the ride as they approached the front gate. The Princess of Sarasaland continued staring at the house as Luigi took out the gate key.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but how were you able to afford all of this?" Daisy asked. "This place looks as though it could be fitting for a high-end hotel for royalty!"

"Well, believe it or not, I actually won this house in a contest that I never entered." Luigi replied.

"What? How?" Daisy asked. "I'm not sure if I follow you."

"Believe me, it's true." Luigi replied. "Back then, I was still living with my brother in his tiny three-bedroom house looking for my own place to live. Before Toad Town decided to add more real estate, all of the houses were filled up and it was hard to find anywhere reasonable to live.

"When did this happen?" Daisy asked.

"I want to say around five years ago." Luigi replied as he opened the front gate. "When I received the letter, I thought it was just another one of my monthly bill statements. I can remember what the letter said. It simply said: 'You've won a huge mansion!' There was even a map enclosed with the letter that lead me directly to it. I told Mario about it and he agreed to meet me there. I tried to follow the map to this mansion, but the night was dark, and I became hopelessly lost in an eerie forest along the way. Finally, after a little while, I came upon this mansion on the edge of the woods. Before I refurbished everything with the money I received during me and my brother's previous adventures, this whole area looked like it was haunted. As a matter of fact, this place was haunted by Boos and other supernatural apparitions."

"Is it still haunted?" Daisy asked as her and Luigi made their way up the stone steps.

"No, thank goodness!" Luigi replied somewhat nervously. "I ended up neutralizing all of the ghosts with a device known as the Poltergust 3000, which was given to me by now good friend, Professor E. Gadd. He told me that the mansion just appeared out of thin air and that it was an illusion, and that Mario was captured by an entity known King Boo and his minions. I can tell you the rest later. It's a pretty long story."

"Sounds pretty interesting to me." Daisy replied. "By the way, when I asked you whether or not the house was still haunted, you seemed a little nervous. Was there a reason for that?"

"Yeah there is." Luigi said. "That reason I got nervous was because we were talking about ghosts…The truth is that I suffer from an irrational fear of ghosts, or phasmophobia."

"Is it kind of like someone being afraid of spiders?" Daisy asked.

"You could say that."

Luigi and Daisy were now at the front door.

"Here, let me get the door for you." Luigi offered as he took out his house key.

"No, let me get it for you." Daisy said, taking the key from Luigi's grasp. "You've been through way too much today. Besides, you look like you could use some rest."

_That's the second time she said that. Is she flirting with me?_ Luigi thought. _If she is, it seems to be working_._ Just take it easy, Luigi. You can't afford to screw anything up, especially since you've only known her for a couple of hours! Just take it slow and don't rush into things like Mario…_

Once the door was unlocked, they both entered the main foyer.

* * *

Luigi flipped on the lights and Daisy was lost for words again. The interior of his mansion was adorned with expensive furniture and installations, including a large crystal chandelier that hung proudly above the polished wooden staircase that lead up to the second floor. The polished wooden floor that Luigi and Daisy stood on was covered with a large and expensive carpet that displayed elaborately decorated patterns and the same was true for the curtains that were hanging in front of the windows. To the left of the large staircase was the living room. This room was connected to the foyer by an archway and contained countless pieces of expensive furniture, most notably the large leather couch and love seat and the large fancy coffee table with the top surface being made of glass. There was also a fireplace with a large marble mantelpiece on the far side of the room where a few pictures sat. Daisy saw that most of them depicted Luigi and Mario during their past adventures. There were also pictures hanging from the walls, ones depicting other family members such as Luigi's parents, as well as his annoying cousins Wario and Waluigi. There were even pictures of Yoshi, Toad, and Princess Peach. Other notable features of the room included the expensive lighting fixtures on the ceiling, decorative sculptures and vases on the table and mantel, as well as the large television and stereo system nestled inside a large entertainment center to the left side of the room.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" Luigi asked as he took off his green cap and hung it on the nearby rack.

"No, thanks." Daisy said. "Well, actually I change my mind. Do you by any chance have any specialty sodas?"

"You mean like Italian soda?" Luigi asked as he removed his white gloves.

"Yeah."

"As a matter of fact, I just got some right before me and Mario left on our last adventure. Here, I'll show you to the kitchen and I'll show you what I have."

"Okay."

Luigi guided Daisy to the right hall next to the foyer where the large dining room was located and then to the left into large kitchen. Once again, Daisy was amazed at the layout before her. Not only did the kitchen have top-of-the-line appliances and architectural elements, like the granite countertops and the hand-crafted glass light fixtures, but it also had a complete mini bar with every imaginable signature alcoholic beverage that the Mushroom Kingdom had to offer. Most of the cabinets in the kitchen, with the exception of the ones underneath the sink, had large glass multi-colored mosaic designs set into them and the drawers had custom-made handles on them that had the letter 'L' engraved into them. Just like the front gate, it was obvious as to what it stood for. Luigi stopped in front of his stainless steel refrigerator and pulled the door open.

"Let's see here." he said. "I have orange cream, coconut, creamy strawberry, vanilla bean, raspberry, white chocolate, pink grapefruit, root beer vanilla cream, peaches n' cream, blackberry, and lime flavored sodas."

"May I have a coconut-flavored soda?" Daisy asked.

"Of course!" Luigi said, handing the bottle to her, before grabbing himself a lime-flavored drink.

_ Put the lime in the coconut and drink it all up._ Luigi thought as he remembered the lyrics of Harry Nilsson's hit song. _Oh, please. Not right now! Now it's going to be in my head for the rest of the night! _

"I'll go get the bottle opener." Luigi said as he went over to one of the drawers to grab it. But to his utter amazement, Daisy was able to open the bottle with her bare hand.

"I got it." Daisy said as she smiled at Luigi. "Thank you."

"You're welcome!"

_She is a strong woman! _Luigi thought. _I could never get those things open without cutting myself! Where did she learn to do that?_

"How come Mario doesn't have a nice, big mansion?" Daisy asked as she took a sip of her soda. Luigi finished his first sip before replying.

"I'm pretty sure it had something to do with getting Peach that diamond ring he pulled out earlier today." he said. "Either that or he's trying to save as much money as he can before he buys a house that's larger than mine, since he always wants to be above his brother… It seems like everything I talk about comes back to him. I really am a shadow of my brother…"

"No you're not. You're better than that!" Daisy replied.

"I'm sorry you had to see me and my brother fight like that. I never wanted it to happen. It's just that…"

"It's okay, Luigi." Daisy said. "Just forget about what happened in the past and think about the future. You still have plenty of opportunities to make a big name for yourself."

"You think so?" Luigi asked.

"Of course!" Daisy said. "I'm sure Toad and the rest of the people at Peach's castle realize that they've made a mistake in giving the credit to Mario for killing Bowser and they're working to get it resolved. Peach told me that too."

"She did?"

"She told me everything, did she not?"

_I guess so_. Luigi thought. _I still hate my brother right though…_

"This soda is very delicious by the way." Daisy said. "I know it's not healthy to drink soda this late at night, but it sure beats going home with a dry throat. The air in Sarasaland gets so dry. Even ice-cold water doesn't seem to help me stay hydrated at times. I know you've passed through the area a few times, so you probably know what that's like."

"That's true. When do you have to go back to back to Sarasaland?" Luigi asked.

"In about a week. I'll be staying with Peach while I'm here." Daisy said. "If you want, you can come over to the castle and visit us if you don't have anything else going on. They have a lot of great movies playing in the theater too. Maybe you and I could go see a movie?"

"That would be great!" Luigi said.

"Excellent! I'll let Peach know when I get back to the castle, but I don't want to go back just yet. She and Mario are probably still trying to work things out right now."

"Mario…" Luigi said, rolling his eyes. "See what I mean? Everything that comes up, my brother seems to always be part of the subject matter. There's no way of avoiding it."

"Music always calms me down when I get angry or upset." Daisy said. "I usually listen to music that suits the way I feel at that particular moment, and it really doesn't matter what genre it is, so long as it's not rap or anything like that. How about you? What kind of music do you like?"

"I usually listen to classic rock." Luigi replied. "It's my personal favorite."

"Really? Me too!" Daisy said.

"Awesome!"

Luigi paused. "That gives me an idea."

"What's that?"

"Let's go into the living room."

Daisy followed Luigi back into the living room where he kneeled down and pulled out a CD from shelf underneath the entertainment center.

"Ah. Here it is!" Luigi said. "I knew I still had this song! One of my personal favorites. My dad used to play this and all the other classics all the time when Mario and I were still kids. It rubbed onto me more than it did Mario. For some reason, he doesn't like it when I play my music. He likes listening to the new crap, though it didn't used to be that way."

"What song are you going to play?" Daisy asked.

"Just listen. I want to see if you recognize it." Luigi replied.

"Alright."

Luigi opened the CD tray in his stereo system and carefully placed it inside. He closed the tray and hit the play button to start the song. Daisy listened to the opening lyrics:

_Carry on, my wayward son_

_For there'll be peace when you are done_

_Lay your weary head to rest_

_Don't you cry no more_

"Oh my god! I love this song!" Daisy exclaimed. "It's _Carry on My Wayward Son_ by Kansas! It's one of my favorites too!"

"Wow! I didn't know that!" Luigi said, still amazed by Daisy's reaction. "Feel free to sing along. I'll sing with you."

Daisy smiled. "Let's rock out to this song!"

And that they did:

_Once I rose above the noise and confusion_

_Just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion_

_I was soaring ever higher, but I flew too high_

_Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man_

_..._

_Though my mind could think I still was a mad man_

_I hear the voices when I'm dreamin', I can hear them say_

_..._

_Carry on, my wayward son_

_For there'll be peace when you are done_

_Lay your weary head to rest_

_Don't you cry no more_

"They don't make music like this anymore." Daisy said. "I wish they still did."

"Me too." Luigi replied.

"Can you turn the volume up?"

"Sure!"

_Masquerading as a man with a reason_

_My charade is the event of the season_

_And if I claim to be a wise man, it surely means that I don't know_

_On a stormy sea of moving emotion_

_..._

_Tossed about I'm like a ship on the ocean_

_I set a course for winds of fortune, but I hear the voices say_

_..._

_Carry on, my wayward son_

_There'll be peace when you are done_

_Lay your weary head to rest_

_Don't you cry no more_

Luigi and Daisy were so into the music that they started playing the 'air guitar'. Once they realized this, they started laughing hysterically before the next set of lyrics. Somehow, they managed to continue on with the singing.

_Carry on, you will always remember_

_Carry on, nothing equals the splendor_

_Now your life's no longer empty_

_Surely heaven waits for you_

_..._

_Carry on, my wayward son_

_There'll be peace when you are done_

_Lay your weary head to rest_

_Don't you cry (don't you cry no more)_

Once the song had ended, Luigi and Daisy were both out of breath and sitting on the couch. Already, it was clear to them that they had so much in common.

"That was awesome!" Daisy said. "We should do that again sometime!"

"Yeah!" Luigi replied. "Do you want to listen to another song? Or do you want to rest?"

"I still need to catch my breath. It's not easy rocking out in a heavy dress, you know."

They both laughed.

"I should probably go clean up." Luigi said. "If you want, you can watch a little television while you're out here. The remote is right next to you on the table. There's also some more soda in the fridge if you want some. Just go ahead and help yourself to whatever you want."

"Thank you, Luigi!" Daisy said, giving him a large grin. He returned the favor as he made his way to the foyer.

That was when it happened. It came like a firestorm. Luigi found himself laying on the floor with tremendous pain in his chest. Daisy saw what was happening and immediately ran over.

"OWWW! Daisy…Help me."

"What's wrong?!" Daisy asked, as she panicked trying to figure out what to do.

"It's feels like…OWW! It's feels like…like I'm having a…heart attack…"

"Oh no…" Daisy said, putting her hand on his chest. "You can't die on me right now!"

Then she noticed something peculiar. One side of Luigi's chest felt hot, _very hot_. It was as if half of his chest had been exposed to the heat of a burning fire, and it seemed to be focused around his front pocket.

"I can't breathe!" Luigi said weakly.

"Hold on! Something's not right here!" Daisy said.

"What do you mean?"

Daisy reached into Luigi's front pocket and pulled out the scarab amulet.

"Oh my god!" Daisy exclaimed. "Luigi! The amulet! It's glowing!"

"What?!"

In that moment, a bright flash of light knocked Daisy onto her back and the lights inside the mansion went out abruptly. As she got on her feet, she went over to Luigi to see if he was still alright. That was when the lights came back on and Luigi started breathing normally once again.

"What the hell, just happened?" Daisy asked.

"I don't know." Luigi replied. "But I have a feeling that it can't be good.

"Did you see what the amulet was doing?!" Daisy freaked. "It was nothing like I've ever seen, other than some of the movies I've seen."

"I saw it too!" Luigi said. "I also heard a strange voice in my head speaking to me in some different language. Then I heard another voice, but this one I could understand and it almost sounded like…_me._"

"Wait, what?" Daisy asked. "What did the voice say?"

"It said…"

Just then, the telephone started to ring. Both the plumber and the princess looked at each other and could tell that something was not right. They both became scared. Luigi got up to his feet and nervously answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Luigi! You need to come to the castle right now!" It was Toad.

"Toad, what's going on?! You sound as though you've witnessed a murder."

"It's Mario and Peach! They've been kidnapped!"

Luigi's heart skipped a beat and his stomach sank hard. _Oh no…_

"Luigi, what is it?" Daisy asked.

"Hold on." Luigi said. "Toad, when did this happen?"

"It just happened! I couldn't stop him! No one could!"

"Did you see the kidnapper?" Luigi asked. Daisy overheard this and gasped. She put her ear up to the phone to hear the conversation.

"Yes, but you're not going to believe who the police think it was. Most of the authorities think it was _you_!" Toad said. "He had the same physical traits as you and he had the same voice. However, the only difference was that he wore darker clothing and he had a mask over his eyes. You need to get down here and convince the police that you weren't the one that committed the crime!"

Luigi's eyes widened and he dropped the phone. _No…It can't be! It just can't! _

"Hello?" Toad said. "Hello?!"

Luigi picked up the phone.

"I'll be there in a few minutes." Luigi replied before hanging up. Daisy was in shock.

"What happened?!"

"Peach and Mario have been kidnapped! And apparently, the authorities think I was the one that kidnapped them!"

"It couldn't have been you!" Daisy said.

"I know!" Luigi said. "But I think I know who it was…"

"Who was it? Do you know?"

"I'll explain in the car." Luigi replied. "We have to get back to Peach's Castle. Hopefully the police realize they've made a mistake."

"What about the amulet?"

Luigi froze and looked on the floor to find the amulet still glowing with red and green light. He picked it up and placed it in his pocket.

"We'll take it with us. I have a feeling that it might be connected with the kidnapping."

"What makes you think that?" Daisy asked.

"I'll explain in the car."

* * *

**Uh oh...And just when Luigi thought the kidnapping had come to an end...What else could ruin a perfectly innocent time with the Princess of Sarasaland? Oh yeah, the fact that Luigi is wanted for the kidnapping! To convince the authorities, Luigi will have to come up with a reasonable explanation, but will they believe all the things he has to say? Stay tuned to find out...this is only the beginning.**

**I made a couple of references to a couple of songs: _Coconut_ by Harry Nilsson and _Carry on My Wayward Son_ by Kansas, the latter I decided would be the main theme for this story because of the main chorus. It will make more sense later in the story. Hope you enjoyed! :)**

**saturn95**


	6. The Day Mario Almost Died

**The Day Mario Almost Died**

* * *

Luigi and Daisy quickly made their way to the mansion's garage where Luigi's famous green racing hotrod stood. Luigi was still in shock over the fact that his brother and Peach had gone missing about the same time the amulet almost gave him a heart attack. Even more bizarre was the fact that he was the wanted man for the sudden crime. It did make sense a little. After all, Luigi did leave the castle after he fought with Mario, which would in theory give him a perfect reason to make him and Peach disappear. But even with all of the circumstantial evidence, it did not correspond to his long-lasting reputation of being a likeable figure in the Mushroom Kingdom. Maybe the people of the Mushroom Kingdom sensed that he would snap at any moment because of Mario's overwhelming fame and glory? Still, even then, nothing seemed to add up. Since when did Luigi ever wear dark clothing and wear a mask? The only time that ever happened was when he became unwittingly brainwashed and served as an acolyte of the evil Count Bleck and went under the name _Mr. L_. No one except for a few others (including Mario and Peach) knew about this dark, yet very short-lived time in Luigi's life, and he chose to keep it a secret ever since. Besides, he was not ready to tell Daisy about it, out of fear that she would think of him in a different light. It appeared that the most logical explanation, at least to Luigi, was that the amulet had something to do with it. Still, even that hypothesis seemed sketchy and doubtful. Daisy did not know what to think of the situation. Even though there were a lot of strange events surfacing, she was still immensely impressed by Luigi's possessions. The green hotrod driving machine was no exception.

"Is this thing street legal?" Daisy asked as Luigi unlocked the doors.

"Of course!" Luigi said. "As long as I don't drive too fast."

"I get the impression that this car is used for more than just driving around town." Daisy replied. "Do you race in this thing?"

"Every now and then, the Mushroom Kingdom has what is called a _Mario Kart Tournament_. It's just like any other car race, but more exciting and dangerous."

"Did you ever win?" Daisy asked.

"Yes. But as much as I'd like to go into detail about it, we have to get the castle as quick as we can."

"What did that voice in your head say?" Daisy asked. "You were about to tell me, but you never did because the phone rang."

Luigi took a deep breath. "It said quite a bit, but somehow I remember it all…It said: _'I am your shadow figure. Beware of my presence, as I will make your life a living hell. The only way you can get rid of me and save yourself from sudden death is if you return the Amulet of Jealousy and Resentment to its rightful place underneath the ageless pyramid. You only have five days to do this. Until then, I will exist as a living entity like you, representing all of your negative attributes, thoughts, as well as the darker moments of your life. If you fail your duty, then I will replace you.' _"

"So the amulet you're holding is called the Amulet of Jealousy and Resentment?" Daisy asked.

"I guess so." Luigi replied.

"Luigi… Do you think that…maybe your feelings towards Mario…triggered the amulet?"

Luigi said nothing. It had never crossed his mind until that moment, but it seemed to make more sense than anything else he came up with so far. He was jealous of his brother for going out with Princess Peach before he met Daisy and he resented his brother for taking almost all the credit for every heroic adventure they have ever been on.

_Oh my god! _he thought. _Could it really be me? It can't be…_

"I don't know." Luigi said quietly. "Maybe there's someone who knows about these kinds of relics… Do you, by any chance, know anyone that would?"

"I do." Daisy said. "But he lives clear out in the subkingdom of Chai in Sarasaland. That's where my entire family resides. Perhaps we could head out there tomorrow if all goes well tonight."

"I have a really bad feeling about this." Luigi said. "Something tells me we _shouldn't_ go to the castle."

"But, Luigi. The authorities think you were the one that committed the crime. They need confirmation that you are innocent." Daisy said. "Besides, they would suspect you even more if didn't show up."

"I guess you make a valid argument." Luigi replied. "Although I still suspect something doesn't add up. I guess I won't find out until we get there. Go ahead and climb in on the passenger side and we'll be on our way."

"Way ahead of you, Luigi."

* * *

The green go-kart/racecar rocketed down the tree-filled avenues and into the brightly-lit city as Luigi and Daisy rushed towards Peach's castle, which glowed in the darkness at the top of the hill on the other side of the small bay like a jack o' lantern. The moon was just starting to make its way above the eastern horizon line and started casting eerie shadows on the distant hills and mountains. Despite the slight light pollution in Toad Town, the stars of the Milky Way could still be seen easily against the black background of night. Luigi checked the clock on the dashboard. It read 11:39 P.M. _So much for getting a good night's sleep_.

It had been Luigi's wish to finally have some peace and quiet after all the drama that had taken place during the day, as well as his last adventure with Mario. Luigi also wished he could have taken the time to clean up his wounds while he was still at the mansion. Looking in the overhead mirror, he could see that he was still a wreck. He suspected that with the police storming through Peach's Castle, as well as the debris left over from the celebrations that it would be a wreck there too. Still, Luigi made an effort in his mind to think more positively of the situation at hand even though he found it very difficult. As much as he did not like his brother right now, he felt sorry for him because of his sudden disappearance. At the same time, he knew it would be the right thing to find and save him, but seeing the bruises and cuts in the mirror made it all the more difficult to forgive Mario for what he did. He was almost glad that his brother had disappeared. But then the thought of Princess Peach came back to him. She was in trouble too…

_At least they have each other_. Luigi thought, trying to make it seem less prominent. _The authorities should be able to find them._ But even that thought was not enough to keep him from worrying about them both. Then, he remembered all the times in the past when the Mushroom Kingdom was bombarded with Bowser and his army of Koopa Troopas. Historically, it was him and Mario that prevented each attempted takeover, not the authorities, the king's army, or even the kingdom's secret supply of WMDs (Weapons of Mass Destruction). There were also countless times in the past where Mario had saved him from sudden death, whether it be a pit of spikes, huge creatures swimming in the water, or even huge pools of boiling lava. Mario was always there by his side. Luigi decided that he had to something about the situation, though he was still upset over what happened earlier in the evening. Mario would have done the same for him. This suddenly triggered a bad memory from an earlier time, before Luigi and Mario ever conceived of the idea of going after Bowser…

* * *

Fifteen Years Ago…Somewhere in the Rural Outskirts of Toad Town…

"Hey! Wait for me, you retard!" Luigi shouted after his brother.

"You've got to be quicker, brother!" Mario shouted back as him and his girlfriend Pauline continued ahead through a large grassy field just next to the small range of mountains located just east of Peach's Castle. It was a beautiful day to be outside, since the sun decided to finally peak out from behind the clouds after a week of relentless rain. Mario and Luigi had just turned sixteen and Pauline decided to treat Mario to a romantic getaway adventure in the countryside for the day to celebrate. Mario encouraged Luigi to tag along with them, even though he did not particular want to (for obvious reasons). After all, it was his birthday too, and Mario knew that Luigi loved going on adventures.

"And you two are the most athletic guys in school?!" Pauline teased. "Please…"

It was hard to not understand why Mario would have a crush on Pauline. She was absolutely gorgeous. Her lavender-eyes, long burgundy hair, and perfect skin was enough to make every guy at Mushroom High go crazy. She had large, slanted eyes with long, defined eyelashes and eyebrows that were dark, curvy, and would thin out as they extend. She wore a significant, though not profuse, amount of makeup - namely, violet eye shadow, red lipstick, and nail polish. She was also remarkably tall compared to the other girls at the high school, making her all the more attractive. She was always seen wearing a cute dress, one that would show off her curved body figure. Today, she decided to wear a red dress, as well as a pair of gold ear ring and a golden bracelet around her right wrist.

"You better watch what you say, my love!" Mario said as he finally caught up to his girlfriend.

"Or what?" Pauline asked as she smiled at him.

"I don't know." Mario replied.

They both laughed. Luigi just rolled his eyes as they kissed in front of him.

"Can we keep the pace going, lovebirds?" Luigi asked. "Where are we headed anyway?"

"I found this really neat cave while I was out here exploring with my family over the break." Pauline said. "We're actually getting very close to it right now."

"And what do you mean by close?" Mario asked.

"It's just up ahead."

The young brothers looked up and saw the cave. It looked very foreboding due to the fact that it was at the very base of a tall mountain. But Mario, Luigi, and Pauline did not think much of it. They were eager to explore the inside. Then, something in Luigi's mind kept him back.

"Aren't you coming, Luigi?" Pauline asked.

"Yeah." he said. "But aren't you two the least bit worried that something bad could happen while we're in there? I mean, caves do have a reputation of being really dangerous. If mom and dad…"

"Oh, stop being such a baby, Luigi! You're not going to chicken out are you?!" Mario said. "Mom and dad aren't going to know anything about this! They think we're in town seeing a movie right now."

"But what if they find out?" Luigi asked. "They're going to be pissed."

"Just hurry up!" Mario said. "We won't be here very long anyway."

_So you say_. Luigi thought. But he did not say anything after that.

The three of them made their way into the cave just a minute after Mario and Luigi's small bickering session. They entered a chamber that had three other passages that went ever deeper into the mountain. Since it would not be safe for each of them to go down a passage, they all decided to go down the path on the right. They continued down the natural pathway until they entered a larger cavern that was pitch-black. Pauline took out her flashlight and clicked it on, revealing dozens of stalagmites and stalactites throughout the cavern. It was evident that it took millions of years for the cave to look the way it did now. The three of them continued further into the cavern, taking in the dramatic scenery of the huge cavern spires and the echoing sounds of water droplets coming from the ceiling in some places. There were moments when the three of them thought they could hear creepy voices ringing throughout the cave, though it was obvious that they were trying to creep each other out.

"Good thing I brought a flashlight!" Pauline said. "Otherwise, we would never find our way back."

"Hopefully we don't get lost." Luigi said.

"We're not going to get lost." Mario said. "Right, Pauline?"

"If the cave goes farther than we think, then we won't go that far." she said.

"See?" Mario said, trying to reassure his brother. "There aren't any dangerous creatures or obstacles. It couldn't be any safer than…"

Just then, the three friends thought they could feel the ground beneath them shake slightly. They each looked at each other with puzzled expressions on their faces.

"Did you feel that?" Luigi asked.

"Yeah. I felt it." Pauline said. "In fact, I can _still _feel it."

"Me too." Mario said.

That was when the shaking started to get more significant and violent. The sound of falling rock and rumbling could now be heard; it was almost as if they were inside a volcano that was about to erupt. Huge rocks and boulders started to fall from the ceiling, with one barely missing Luigi as it came crashing down. It was now apparent that they were witnessing an earthquake and that the cave was extremely unstable. Pauline and the brothers had to get out of there and fast. It would only be a matter of time before their exit would be blocked by rocky debris.

"We need to get out of here!" Luigi shouted. "Let's go!"

The three of them ran as fast as they could back through the large cavern and towards the tunnel that they came in from, using the flashlight as their beacon. Besides the large falling chunks of rock, it was the one and only other thing that would determine the difference between life and death for the three friends.

"I knew this was a bad idea!" Pauline said.

"What are you talking about?!" Mario asked.

"My parents were right."

"And so were our parents, but Mario decided he wanted to go anyways!" Luigi shouted.

"Luigi! Now is not the time to play the blame game!" Mario snapped. "You didn't have to come if you thought this would be so dangerous!"

"But it _is_ dangerous!" Luigi said. "I was just trying to look after you, like you do with me all the time!"

They were about to see the light of the outside when Mario suddenly tripped on a rock and fell forward onto his face. At the same time, another rock found itself wrapped by Mario's shoelace, which prevented from leaving his spot. Luigi and Pauline turned around and gasped when they saw Mario struggling to free himself from the stony trap.

"My leg! My leg! I'm trapped! My leg is trapped! Help me, Luigi! Help me!"

Worried that his brother might not make it out, Luigi turned around and went after Mario.

"Hold on! I'm coming back to get you!"

But it was too late. Luigi watched in horror as two large boulders fell in front of Mario and concealed him inside the cave. He wanted to move the rocks, but there was nothing he could to save his brother now (his strength was too feeble to move them anyway). It was the most helpless feeling that Luigi had ever experienced in his life at that point. He could feel tears develop in his eyes as he frantically tried making the rocks move.

"MARIO!" Luigi shouted.

"Luigi! Hurry before he get smashed!" Pauline shouted from ahead.

"Are you crazy?! We have to save my brother!"

Up above, three large chunks of the ceiling were about to give up their struggle. Luigi looked back at the two large boulders and then back to where Pauline was standing in the cave entrance.

"LUIGI! GET OUT OF THERE!" she shouted. "REACH FOR MY HAND!"

It was a difficult decision, but Luigi ended up sprinting towards the exit and performed a diving roll just as the rocks fell from the ceiling and created another barrier inside the cave just as the earthquake finally subsided. Luigi landed on his back, but Pauline was able to help him back onto his feet. Looking back to the cave, it looked as though there was no way anyone get behind those rocks. The thought of his brother trapped behind those large rocks in pure darkness with nothing to eat or drink wrenched at Luigi's chest. The sudden tragedy was too much for him to take in and he unable to hide his sadness any longer. Pauline was already in tears as she fell to her knees in despair.

"Mario's gone…" Luigi sobbed. "My brother is gone!"

"This was my fault." Pauline said. "I never should've taken him up here. I wish I would've went with the picnic idea instead!"

"It's not your fault." Luigi said. "I should've been more assertive with him about this whole thing. I feel like I didn't do enough to prevent this!"

"There was nothing we could do." Pauline said as she walked up to Luigi, who was still looking back at the cave. He started to sob even more, so Pauline wrapped her arms around him to calm and comfort him. Luigi did the same for Pauline.

"We need to hurry and find someone who can help us." Luigi said. "I can't let my brother die in there! Oh, god…Mom and dad are going to be so angry when they find out about this…"

"The worst your parents could do is ground you for the entire school year." Pauline said. "I'll help you. Come on, Luigi. Let's go get as much help from the city as we can get."

After they got back to the city, Luigi and Pauline got in touch with the local police, the fire department, and even the strongest members of the king's army to help them in their rescue effort. It would not be for another eight hours before the authorities were able to get to the cave and move all the rocks to reach Mario. Luckily, they were able to discover him alive (though he had a broken ankle and few deep cuts and bruises) and Luigi was able to finally reunite with him. It would forever be remembered by Luigi as _the day Mario almost died_. Even though Mario survived the horrific cave collapse, Luigi still regretted his decision to leave his brother behind. But then again, he himself would probably have not made it out alive.

* * *

Back to Present Day

"Luigi! Watch the road!" Daisy said. "You're going over the line!"

Line suddenly came back to reality and corrected his driving path before unwittingly driving into an oncoming vehicle. Both of them were now awake and breathing heavily.

"I'm sorry, Daisy." Luigi said. "Just exhausted, that's all."

"You're fine." she replied. "Is there something on your mind, Luigi?"

"Too much. That's all I can say."

"What do you mean by that?" Daisy asked.

"I'll tell you later. It's very personal." Luigi said.

"Oh. I see…"

Luigi and Daisy were no longer in the main part of the city and were now making their way up another suburban street that would take them to the long avenue leading directly to the castle. Looking out the window, Daisy could already tell by the flashing lights that there was plenty of activity going on at the front door. She sighed.

"The castle is going to be a crime scene! Where am I supposed to stay tonight if I can't get any of my belongings?"

"You could always stay at my place." Luigi replied. "I have a few guest rooms set up already, so you could choose from any one of those."

"Really?" Daisy asked. "That would be so generous of you! Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome. I figured since you already helped me that I would return the favor." Luigi said. Daisy smiled at him and he could feel his cheeks getting warmer as blood started rushing into his face. Suddenly, Daisy reached into Luigi's front pocket and grabbed the amulet so she could examine it more thoroughly. Its light was dimmer than when they left Luigi's mansion, but it was still bright enough to where she could make out all of its finer details.

"The Amulet of Jealousy and Resentment." Daisy said as she held the glowing scarab relic in her hand. "It almost seems like I heard about it before, but I can't remember exactly. My father used to tell me all kinds of weird stories when I was a little kid."

"I bet a lot of them were real Sarasalandian myths." Luigi replied.

"Some of them were, like the ancient Sarasalandian Myth of Creation. But most of them were simple child bedtime stories. I'm trying to remember if any the stories told of a magical amulet…"

"Let me know if you remember it." Luigi said as they started to approach the castle. He slowed the vehicle down as he approached the road leading up to the castle's front door, where dozens of police vehicles were parked and flashing their red and blue lights. That was when Luigi noticed these same lights coming from behind him down the road as a few more police vehicles made their way to the castle in a straight line – almost like a blockade. Once his car came to a complete stop, Luigi put it in park and then turned off the engine before him and Daisy got out. There was yellow police tape at the front entrance of the castle, so access to the inside was prohibited. But where did all of the authorities go? Something did not seem right.

"Where is everyone?" Daisy asked. "Could they be inside?"

"I doubt it." Luigi said. "If they were inside, there wouldn't be any police tape at the front door. I would think anyway…"

In that instant, Luigi heard the unsettling loading of weapons coming from around him before someone behind him shouted "FREEZE!"

_Shit! _Luigi thought. _I walked into a trap!_

* * *

**Here's chapter 6! I know it's another cliff-hanger, but this chapter introduces a few more important elements to the story and implements a few facts about the Mario Brothers. From here on out the story should be a continuous flow. This is where the story starts to accelerate in pace.**

**In the flashback taking place fifteen years in the past, I established that the Mario Brothers had just turned sixteen, which means that in present time Mario and Luigi are currently thirty-one years old. Pauline was still Mario's girlfriend at the time and both Mario and Luigi were said to be the strongest guys in Mushroom High as quoted by Pauline herself. It's no wonder that they became the heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom. **

**The voice Luigi heard in his head when the amulet started glowing referred to it as the _Amulet of Jealousy and Resentment_. Evidently, the voice Luigi heard was that of his 'shadow figure'. What could that be? And what does it mean that he will be replaced after five days if he fails to return the amulet to the 'ageless pyramid'? Where is this place, and what is it? But more importantly, who kidnapped Mario and Peach? Where is he headed? Why are the authorities so quick to blame Luigi? So many questions...Since I can't answer all of them at once, you'll just have to wait for the story to progress (I know, I'm evil that way...I guess). See you in the next update ;)**

**saturn95**


	7. Luigi: A Hero Gone Bad?

**Luigi: A Hero Gone Bad?**

* * *

Luigi and Daisy looked around in terror as a ring of weapons surrounded them from all directions, all of which were pointed directly at them. It was very similar to some of the movies they have seen over the years, only now they were actually part of it. By now, Luigi had no doubts that he had been set up, but it was still unclear as to whether or not it was done deliberately. Toad had been Luigi's friend for many years, so it was hard for him to think that he would be responsible for setting the bait, unless the authorities told him to do it. After all, Toad was and never had been the brightest when trying to understand the intentions of other people and creatures. Still, it was hard for Luigi to comprehend the fact that the police suspected him of the disappearance of his own brother and Princess Peach. The kidnapping nonsense should have ended with the death of Bowser as far as he was concerned. But now, the past was coming back to haunt him all over again as he contemplated Mario and Peach's whereabouts as well as the person responsible for their disappearance, whoever he may be. Could it really be he thinks it is?

"PUT YOUR HANDS UP IN THE AIR WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!" one of the policemen said as he pointed his gun directly at Luigi. He did what he was told, as much as he desperately wanted to clear things up with the authorities, though he realized that he was not going to have that chance anymore. Daisy could only watch in horror.

"Sir, I think you're making a mistake!" Luigi protested. "I have no idea where Mario and Peach are!"

"I'm pretty sure that you are the one that is mistaken." said the policeman. "Where are Mario and Peach? Surely you know where they are, since you're the one that kidnapped them."

"What?!" Luigi said in a flabbergasted tone. "How could you make that accusation when you have no evidence to prove it? If you arrest me, at least read out my rights!"

"We have all the evidence we need! Now turn around so I can retrain your wrists!" said another policeman, who already had the handcuffs in his right hand. As he stated Luigi's rights, Luigi turned around as he was told. He saw Toad out of the corner of his eye near one of the cop cars and gave him a slight glare, as if to say: _You let me down_. Toad saw him and frowned out of regret. He felt just as bad, if not a little worse than when Peach learned about Luigi's feeling towards her.

"I tried convincing them! Really, I did!" Toad protested as the officer proceeded in locking Luigi's wrists.

"It's alright, you did what you could do." Luigi said quietly.

"Shut up!"

"Wait!" Daisy shouted. "You can't arrest, Luigi! He would never do anything cruel and unusual to his brother or the princess for that matter. I was with Luigi the entire time and he never committed such a crime! Don't put him in the big house with those criminals! He'll never survive in there!"

"I don't care if you're the princess of Sarasaland, I will not let you interfere in this arrest!" said the officer in charge. "We're just trying to do what's right for the Mushroom Kingdom."

"I am the princess of Sarasaland, thank you very much!" Daisy shouted. "You just never hear much about me, since I spend most of my time here."

"I know, Princess Daisy." the officer replied as he started searching Luigi for any illegal substances and other objects of interest that were illegal. That was when he felt something hard in his front pocket.

"Oh, hello. What's this?" said the officer as he pulled out the amulet from Luigi's front pocket.

"Don't touch that!" Daisy shouted. "That's an important object!"'

"I take that as a sign of guilt." said the officer. "You didn't have anything to do with this, did you Daisy?"

"Oh for crying out loud!" Daisy said. "Luigi is innocent!"

"I'm not convinced. Take Luigi to the Mushroom Kingdom holding cells this instant!"

"Yes, sir!" said another officer as he grabbed Luigi's shoulders. The officer that handcuffed him continued to stare at the amulet with great fascination. Daisy, on the other hand was not okay with this. That was when she suddenly found her arms locked behind her back as another officer grabbed hold of her.

"What are you doing?! Let go of me!" Daisy shouted.

"I'm sorry, princess. But we need to take you in for questioning!"

"Questioning?! How am I connected to this?!"

"We want to know more about that artifact you're so fond of."

"I don't know anything about it!" Daisy protested. "All I know is that Luigi found it in an underground tomb in Sarasaland when he and Mario were rescuing Peach from Bowser! We were hoping to get back to Sarasaland and take it to an expert who knows a lot about those kinds of things."

"You're not going anywhere, sister!" said the officer. "Now come with me!"

_That is the last time someone will ever call me sister! _Daisy thought as anger built up inside her. She did not want to see Luigi get locked up for something he never did. After all, she was a little attracted to him, though she never suggested anything to Luigi yet. Still, she knew Luigi was being wrongly accused and something in her gut kept telling Daisy that she had to do something about it. But what? Surely they would shoot her to the ground if she tried getting away…unless…

Scanning the area, she turned and saw Luigi's car, which was not very far away, and had an idea, though it was by no means the best idea. But if she carried it out, it just might work. Not only that, but she would be able to save Luigi from custody, as well as an unjust prison sentence in the process. By now, Daisy was not worried about becoming a wanted person herself; she just wanted Luigi to escape the unjust accusations of the Mushroom Kingdom law enforcement. Then, she remembered the amulet. Somehow, she had to get it back from the officer. Luckily, it only took her a split second to rework her plan and finalize it as she neared another police vehicle that was separate from the one Luigi was in.

"Get in the car, sister!" said the officer as he pushed the princess into the car.

_I can't believe I'm doing this! _Daisy thought as the anger built up inside of her. When the timing was just right, she did the unthinkable and immediately sprang into action. She punched the guard in the face and then kicked him where it counted, knocking him unconscious in the process. It was not long at all before she was confronted by the officer who was still carrying the amulet in his hand. Luigi, who was still trapped in the other car, watched in utter shock and fascination at the events that unfolded before his very eyes. _I knew there was something different about her when she opened that bottle of soda! _He thought. _Where did she ever learn to do that?_ It was clearly nothing he had expected to see from a princess, but he was damn lucky to be with a woman who knew how to fight (not to say he himself has no fighting skills, of course). Toad was also shocked at the scene in front of him. He kept a safe distance away in case anything really violent happened.

"Give me your arms!" said the officer as Daisy neared him. "You're under arrest!"

"Not if I can help it!" she said, swiping him in the face with one swift kick. The amulet flew into the air out of the officer's hand, but Daisy was able to catch it before it hit the ground. That was when she heard the heart-stopping bang of a pistol. The officer with the discharged weapon slowly approached Daisy as she lay helpless on the ground, fearing that one more move out of her would lead to serious injury, or even death. _Shit! Now what am I going to do?_

"I never expected any moves like that from you, princess." said the police man. "But I'm afraid you're going to have to pay the price for the damage you've caused tonight. Turn around onto your stomach and put your hands on your back before I put serious charges on you! You're already in enough trouble as it is!"

"LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU!" said another officer as started running towards the scene.

Daisy's confronter turned around and suddenly greeted by a tight chain around his neck as Luigi choked him to save Daisy from her prison trap.

"I'm really sorry for doing this, but it's for my own good." Luigi uttered under his own breath before slamming him in the stomach and knocking him to the ground. "Next time, close the door so I can't get out."

He immediately ran over to Daisy, who was glad to be in Luigi's company again. The other officers quickly charged and pointed their guns at them as Daisy struggled to pick the lock on Luigi's handcuffs with a spare bobby pin from her hair. The officers began to shoot at them, so they dodged behind the police car to avoid getting hit. Toad was nowhere to be seen.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Luigi asked. "You could've gotten yourself killed!"

"I don't know." Daisy replied. "I had to do something to keep you from going to prison! It was in my gut! Besides, you don't deserve to get raped by other guys!"

"We need to get back to my car without getting shot. What do you suppose we do now?" Luigi whispered. "We can't just walk or run over there without having the police shoot at us! They'll be over here in a matter of moments!"

"I guess we're just going to have to take a risk!" Daisy whispered back. "By the way, weren't you going to tell me about something about your thoughts on who actually kidnapped Peach and Mario? You also mentioned something about it somehow being related to the amulet."

"No time! We need to make a dash to my car." Luigi said. "On my count, we'll make a run for it. Ready?"

"Ready."

"One…two…three…GO!"

Luigi and Daisy were instantly greeted by a blaze of gunfire, but they somehow managed to avoid every single shot that was fired at them, that was until a bullet managed to penetrate Luigi's left arm. Pain immediately shot through his body like lightning as he fell to his knees as he tried to open the door of his car.

"Luigi!" Daisy gasped as the green plumber groaned from the intense pain.

"Don't worry about me!" Luigi said, as bloody began to stain his green shirt. "I'll be fine."

"Do you want me to drive?!" Daisy shouted as more shots were being fired at them.

"Just get in the car!" Luigi shouted. "We're wasting time!"

Daisy climbed into the passenger side as Luigi struggled to get behind the wheel. Once he managed to get the driver's seat and close the door and immediately started the engine and started turning the car around to leave the castle. That was when he remembered something that stopped them in their tracks.

"Damn! They have us blocked!" Luigi said. "We can't go through the exit!"

"What do we do now?" Daisy asked.

"We'll have to plow through them."

"What?! But, Luigi. You'll ruin your car!"

"I don't care, Daisy! We need to get out of here as soon as possible! Besides, I have a way for making that blockade disappear."

"Where are we going anyway?"

Luigi paused for a moment.

"What's the quickest route to Sarasaland?"

Just then, more shots rang out, and Luigi's back window shattered.

"I'll tell you the route. But do us a favor and DRIVE!" Daisy shouted.

Luigi slammed on the gas and made straight for the blockade that was preventing their departure. Just as that occurred, Luigi reached down and pressed a button on his console and Daisy was surprised as a huge fireball suddenly erupted in front of them. When the inferno cleared, the blockade had disappeared, leaving nothing but a sorry wreckage of smoke, broken glass, and twisted metal. Luckily, Luigi and Daisy were far enough away to avoid taking any damage from the explosion and there were no casualties to report. They were now speeding away from the castle well over the speed limit, which did not matter in the slightest bit now that they were both fugitives. Daisy turned and looked at Luigi.

"How did you do that?" Daisy asked.

"I used my built-in rocket launcher." Luigi replied. "It's something I've never been able to use until now."

"What other surprises do you keep in here?"

"I'll tell you when we're clear of danger." Luigi said. "Either that, or I'll show you if more danger decides to show up. There's no question that the cops are calling for backup…I hope Toad is alright back there…"

Luigi paused

"Oh, god…"

"What's wrong?" Daisy asked as she saw a tear develop in the green plumber's eye, as if he were about to cry.

"I'm so sorry I dragged you into all of this, Daisy…"

"How am I going to explain all of this to my father?" Daisy asked. "He's definitely going to be pissed when he sees my name in the news tomorrow morning! And the rest of my family…Oh my god…"

"And my family…" Luigi said. "They'll think I'm biggest jerk for everything that happened this evening! I crashed Mario's engagement…I fought with Mario…I said all these nasty things and then him and Peach suddenly go missing and I become a fugitive on the run! What could possibly be worse than that?! How will I ever make up for that?! My reputation will be ruined!"

"That makes two of us." Daisy said. "But, Luigi. You must understand that everything that happened this evening is not entirely your fault. Mario was being an asshole and you had no idea that you would be wanted for his disappearance.

"But Mario is my brother!" Luigi suddenly snapped. "Sure he might be an asshole sometimes, but he's always helped me throughout my life. He was always there when we went on our adventures. It's just that recently he's been so stuck up on himself and Peach that he hasn't really acted the way he usually does. Peach saw it too, which is why he took his anger out on me earlier this evening. The only reason I really resented my brother was because he took the credit from me for most of our adventures, which was why I took my anger out on him…"

"You did what you had to do."

"Yeah, I guess." Luigi said. "I may still be angry at him right now, but he's my brother. He saved me a myriad of times. But now I think it's time a started returning the favor… I can't hate him forever, you know. He'll always have a special place in my heart."

"I'm sorry." Daisy said. "I should've kept my mouth shut."

"Hey…" Luigi said, trying to comfort Daisy. "It's fine. Don't take it personally. I'm sure you would express the same for your cousin…There is however something I'm still trying to understand."

"What's that?" Daisy asked.

"I don't mean to sound snoopy, but what made you decide to risk your life and reputation to rescue me from the authorities?" Luigi asked. "You didn't have to do that."

Daisy's eyes started to widen and her cheeks became unusually warm as she quickly thought of something to cover up the real answer. She was still not ready to reveal her feelings to him.

"Me?" Daisy asked. "I have no idea. Now's really not the time for me to say..."

"There has to be a reason why you decided to stick around. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here with me."

"I just didn't want to see you go to jail for something you didn't do!" Daisy said. "I mean, you're one of the greatest people the world has ever seen! You deserve better than to put up with that!"

"Are you sure there wasn't anything else?" Luigi asked.

"Like what?"

Just then, Luigi spotted a whole fleet of coppers racing towards him through his overhead mirror. He pressed harder on the gas pedal to speed up even more.

"Looks like we have some company!" Luigi said. "You might want to keep your seat belt on for this!"

"You might want to hurry faster!" Daisy replied. "Their numbers are increasing!"

"I would if my arm wasn't causing me so much pain!"

"Maybe you should've let me drive."

"This car doesn't work like any other car, though."

"Here, let me bandage your arm with my handkerchief."

Daisy reached over to Luigi's arm and took her handkerchief in her right hand. Then, using her left hand, tied the piece of cloth around Luigi's bloody wound just before they both hit a sharp turn in the road. The sudden change in motion, combined with the inertia vested in Daisy's body caused her to sit back upright in her seat. This in itself was enough to wake her up, besides the fact that more police cars joined the chase after Luigi's green car as they made their way onto the freeway that ran directly through the heart of Toad Town.

"Damn! These coppers are hard to shake off!" Luigi said as he increased his speed yet again. By now, the speedometer on his dashboard was already almost a quarter of the way past the maximum speed on the display, and the road was becoming ever more treacherous as traffic started to build on the roadway. The other people who were driving were honking their horns at Luigi as he strategically weaved in and out of various lanes to avoid oncoming obstacles. Even so, the cops were smart enough to find a way to catch up. Most of them ended up taking shortcuts in the form of expressways that branched out and then back into the highway. There were some that even ended up _in front _of Luigi's car, as if to try and trap him. But Luigi had other plans. His years spent with his brother in the Mario Kart Tournaments were about to finally pay off.

"LUIGI! GET OUT OF THE CAR NOW!" one of the officers yelled through a megaphone.

"What are we going to do?" Daisy asked. "Our exit will be coming up shortly!"

"Hold on, Daisy! Things are about to get rough!" Luigi said.

Luigi maneuvered his car towards a police vehicle that had him flanked on his left. Without even worrying about his car's paint job, Luigi rubbed his car against the other vehicle and the sound of scraping metal became prominent. Since the vehicle was unable to get over, the officer had no choice but to bite the bullet and hit an oncoming vehicle. This allowed Luigi to make another narrow maneuver through the traffic and ease the attention from the authorities. While that was happening, more gun shots were being fired from behind him and Daisy, causing both Luigi and Daisy to duck and take their eyes off the road. And just when they thought things could not get any worse, the sound of hovering blades was now heard and Luigi's car was flooded with bright light as a helicopter from above spotted them. They were trapped.

"Great! Now, we'll never be able to shake them off!" Luigi said.

"What do you suggest we do now?" Daisy asked.

"Somehow, we need to divert the helicopter and the rest of the police away from our intended path. To me, that would be the best option we have. It might be the _only _option we have."

Luigi paused.

"Wait, I've got it! I know what we can do."

"What is it?"

"There's a bridge not too far away from here that runs across the narrowest section of the bay that's currently under serious renovations. If I remember correctly, part of the road on the bridge collapsed due to old age. See, there it is!"

Luigi pointed straight ahead and Daisy was barely able to spot against the dark sky. The only thing that distinguished the bridge from the rest of the night were the bright street lamps that ran along the portions that were still intact. There were also construction signs and barricades set up to keep traffic from entering while the renovations were taking place. At this point, Daisy still did not quite understand what Luigi's idea was, so she decided to ask him.

"What are you suggesting?" Daisy asked. Then, she immediately understood.

"No!" she said. "Luigi. We are not going to jump that bridge! No way in hell we can do that! You'll get us killed!"

"Do you have a better plan?" Luigi asked as more gunshots were heard from behind them.

"What are we going to do about the helicopter?" Daisy asked. "Jumping the bridge won't stop that thing from chasing us!"

"There's a tunnel on the other side that runs directly through the mountain." Luigi said. "If all goes well, the helicopter won't know which way we're going once we get on the road that takes us to your kingdom. From there, it's just matter of sneaking past border security before we finally get into Sarasaland."

"God, I hope this works!" Daisy said. "I don't want to go from fugitive to dead corpse anytime soon!"

"There's a good chance that we'll make it across!" Luigi said. "You just have to trust me, Daisy."

Daisy hesitated at first, but she finally gave in and decided that Luigi was right.

"Alright, I trust you." Daisy said. "Whatever you do, please don't kill us!"

"I wasn't planning on it." Luigi replied with a smile. Daisy smiled back.

"Fingers crossed…"

The green car was nearing the damaged bridge when Luigi spotted the perfect ramp near the back on an abandoned truck. With the cops and the helicopter still hot on their trail, Luigi increased his speed and blasted through the construction barricades before lining the car up with the truck ramp. There was only one thing left he needed to do before the jump.

"Hold on tight!" Luigi said. "We'll be going really fast!"

He pressed another button on his dashboard and the car was suddenly going much faster than it had been before. Daisy saw that the button read N 2O. _Nitrous oxide_.

_Should've known he was going to use that! _Daisy thought.

The car hit the ramp at a mind-blowing speed before Luigi and Daisy found themselves flying in the air over the dark water far below. Daisy closed her eyes as she felt butterflies in her stomach due to the now sudden pull of gravity on her body. It scared her to the point of almost screaming out loud. Luigi kept his eyes open out of fear that the car would not make it to the other side. Luckily, fate was on their side and Luigi's car was barely able to land in the other side with a large THUD. Looking back, Luigi was relieved to see that all of the police cars played it safe and stayed back on the other side of the bridge. Daisy opened her eyes, realizing that they had made it.

"WHOOHOO!" Luigi shouted. "We made it, Daisy!"

"Yeah, you go, Luigi!" Daisy shouted at the top of her lungs. "For a second, I thought my chest was going to explode!"

"We still have one more thing to worry about." Luigi said, referring to the helicopter whose beam of light was still focused on them.

"The tunnel is just ahead." Daisy said. "Are you sure we'll be able to lose him?"

"That's what I'm worried about too." Luigi said.

"I think I know a way we can lose the helicopter." Daisy said.

"Really?" Luigi asked.

"Yeah. Watch this!"

Confused, Luigi watched out of the corner of his eye as Daisy rolled down her window and started reaching her hand out as if to adjust the mirror. In fact, she was doing just that. By redirecting the mirror, she changed the angle of the reflected light coming from the helicopter's searchlight and aimed the light towards the operator of the helicopter in an attempt to temporarily blind him. At that moment, she noticed the helicopter started to jerk wildly out of control and fall towards the water. The officer operating the helicopter managed to get out just in time, but the helicopter ended up falling into a dark watery grave, after which it exploded and sent waves of water onto the bridge. Her plan had worked.

"I can't believe it actually worked!" Daisy said.

"Why didn't you do that sooner?" Luigi asked as he brought the speed of the car down to reasonable pace.

"It never occurred to me until now." Daisy replied. "Not bad for a princess, huh?"

"No, not at all!" Luigi said. "Looks like we made it to the tunnel…"

He yawned.

"I'm so tired."

"Do you want me to drive for a while so you can catch some rest on the way to Sarasaland?"

"Well…I guess you deserve to learn how my car operates." Luigi said. "To be perfectly honest, if I didn't have all of these modifications, it would be exactly the same as driving a regular car. I just get a little overprotective when other people ask to drive it. It's a guy thing."

"I figured as much." Daisy replied. "So you're alright with me driving for a while?"

"Yeah." Luigi said. "We can take turns driving if you'd like. That way you can get some rest too."

"Okay."

Luigi stopped the car just as they entered the tunnel and him and Daisy switched places before resuming their escape from the Mushroom Kingdom. Next stop: Sarasaland. More specifically, the Chai Subkingdom: Daisy's homeland.

* * *

**Hey, everyone! Chapter seven is finally up. I'm back in college, so it will probably take me more time to update this. But not to worry, I haven't forgotten about it.**

**Luigi and Daisy have just made a daring escape from Toad Town and are now on their way to the great kingdom of Sarasaland to escape the threats of the authorities and to discover the secrets of the amulet in their possession, the so-called Amulet of Jealousy and Resentment. So many questions still linger in Luigi's mind, notably the whereabouts of Mario and Peach and their kidnapper. What will Luigi and Daisy discover once they reach Chai? Until the next chapter, I'll let you think about it ;) See you then!**

**saturn95**


	8. Luigi's Doppelganger

**Luigi's Doppelganger**

* * *

It seemed like an eternity even though it had been just a couple of hours since Luigi and Daisy left the capital city of Toad Town. In that time, Daisy had taken over control of Luigi's car and they were both driving through the dark forests of the Mushroom Kingdom with only the light of the Moon and the stars to guide their path. Luigi was still asleep in the passenger seat and was still in bad shape from all of the drama that took place earlier in the night. If that was not bad enough, it was the fact that both he and Daisy were now fugitives on the run that made the situation much worse. Since their names would be all over the news, they knew it would be challenging to get across the border into Sarasaland without being noticed by the guards. Daisy could see the headlines in her mind as her eyes started to do things she did not want them to do: PLUMBER AND PRINCESS WANTED FOR THE KIDNAPPING OF PLUMBER AND PRINCESS. She was about to fall asleep when she heard Luigi rustling in the passenger seat as he woke up from his mini slumber.

"How long was I asleep?" Luigi asked in a tired tone.

"Only a couple of hours." Daisy replied as she let out a huge yawn. Consequently, Luigi ended up yawning as well as he stretched his tired limbs. The pain in his left arm started to creep back as he tried to lift it and it was almost too much. But he was somehow able to lift it and make it useful for him to sit straight back up in his chair. It was incredible that the bullet only skimmed Luigi's arm and did not find itself lodged inside of it. Still, the bloody wound in his arm was prone to infection. The only thing he could do now to reduce its effects is if he cleaned out the wound with water or, better yet, pure alcohol. Unfortunately, Luigi did not carry either of the two liquids in his car, so he would have to simply wait until he could get his hands on them, whenever that would be.

"Do you want me to drive? You seem awfully tired."

"Yeah, but let's wait until we get to this upcoming rest stop." Daisy replied. "We're only about a mile away from it."

"I need to clean myself up anyway." Luigi stated. "Hopefully the plumbing is running fine in there."

"Hopefully there's no one waiting for us there!" Daisy said. "I have a feeling that the police are already trying to corner us wherever they possibly can. Maybe we shouldn't stop there…"

"We could at least see if there's anyone there before we decide to get out of the car." Luigi said. "At least then, we'll know for sure whether or not we should stop."

"But what if someone comes by while we're there?" Daisy asked. "Do you think one of us should stay by the car and keep watch?"

"That wouldn't be a bad idea." Luigi said. "There's the turn."

"I see it."

The car made its way down a dimly lit pathway that branched off the main road and made its way into a parking lot area where the building housing the restrooms was located. Looking around, Luigi and Daisy could see no other vehicles under the orange glow of the street lamps, not even any of the large trucks that typically make pit stops. It was an eerie atmosphere indeed. As Daisy parked the car in a spot close to the restrooms, Luigi checked the clock on his dashboard. It read 2:37 A.M.

"That's strange that there's no people here." Luigi said. "Usually there's at least a few trucks. At least there aren't any cops here."

"Do you need to get out and stretch?" Daisy asked.

"Yeah, sure." Luigi said.

"Here, why don't you go ahead and go clean yourself up a little and whatever else you need to." Daisy said. "I'll go ahead and watch the car and keep an eye out for any police cars."

"Don't you have to get out and stretch as well?" Luigi asked. "If you want, I can let you go first."

"Just go ahead and do your thing first, I'll wait right here for." Daisy said with a slight smile.

"Okay. I should be out in ten minutes. Honk the horn if there's any trouble."

"Alright."

Luigi got out of the car and stretched his tired legs before he slowly walked over to the men's room. Walking inside, he was distraught by the lack of cleanliness that was present inside, though he had already suspected to see a mess. The foul odor of feces was present and there were countless instances of people writing graffiti on the walls, especially on the walls of the two toilet stalls which were both missing their doors. There were a couple of puddles of water beneath the two sinks on the right side of the room and also one below the two urinals on the left side of the room (or was it urine?), suggesting that the plumbing was in dire need of maintenance. The two mirrors resting above the two sinks were slightly shattered along their edges, indicating that they must have been there for a very long time. The last noticeable feature of the room was the single solitary flickering light above the sink area. It was obvious that electrical work was needed as well. As run-down as the place was, Luigi needed to clean his wounds. He went over to the nearest sink and turned on the running water. At least the water pressure was alright. He unwrapped the bullet wound on his left arm and started splashing water onto it, causing splotches of red to drip into the basin. This caused him a great deal of pain, but was better than risking infection. Once that was taken care of and he rewrapped his wound using the other side of the cloth to apply pressure, Luigi moved to his other arm and started cleaning up the scratches that were made by his brother.

"Why did this have to happen?" Luigi asked himself as he stared at himself in the broken mirror. "Why am I the one seen as the main suspect in this? Why does everyone have to stand behind Mario all the time?!"

He paused as he contemplated his own questions. He still was not able to come up with any clear explanations. What if that amulet he found in Sarasaland _was _the reason he was in such misery? If so, what else could it be capable of? The memories of the vision in which he saw the pharaoh were now coming back to haunt him, and they made him think of what he was trying to say in the dead ancient language. Still, the only thing he knew was that whatever it was, it did not sound very good. Then, the memory of Mario started coming back to him:

_Something tells me that whatever you found in that box is bad luck. Maybe you should put it back before other bad things happen._

_Well…I went through so much trouble trying to get that box open…_

_Luigi, just leave the amulet inside the box. I really don't trust it._

_But it's so pretty…_

_LUIGI!_

_Alright! Alright! I'll put it back._

_Good. Now, let's get out of here and find out way back up to the surface so we can continue chasing Bowser and his cronies._

"God, I was so stupid!" Luigi said. "Maybe Mario was right…Maybe I am selfish…After all, the only reason I kept the amulet was to impress Peach…Now I'm wanted for the disappearance of him and Peach! Why else would the police suspect me? After all, I always wanted to stand above my brother…because he was always above me…But I never committed such an act! Who in their right mind would go through all the trouble to dress like me and kidnap my brother…unless…"

Luigi suddenly remembered what he had heard in his head just a few hours ago when he and Daisy were at his house:

_I am your shadow figure. Beware of my presence, as I will make your life a living hell. The only way you can get rid of me and save yourself from sudden death is if you return the Amulet of Jealousy and Resentment to its rightful place underneath the ageless pyramid. You only have five days to do this. Until then, I will exist as a living entity like you, representing all of your negative attributes, thoughts, as well as the darker moments of your life. If you fail your duty, then I will replace you._

"Whoever is responsible for my brother's disappearance has to be connected to the amulet!" Luigi said. "But who the f# % is he? If what he said is true, then I only have less than five days to live! That can't be true…can it? I'm so stressed and confused…What would Mario do if he was in my situation?!"

Then, the answer became clear: Luigi had to confront this villain himself. He had already learned a thing or two from Mario when both of them went after Bowser in the past, but now it was his turn to confront an enemy. Supernatural or not, he had to save his brother, even if he really hated his guts. He had no choice. Peach was in danger too, which meant that the Mushroom Kingdom was also in danger because she was the sole ruler. With no ruler to oversee the government of the Mushroom Kingdom, there was no question that the law would crumble to chaos and anarchy. The entire future of the kingdom was now in his hands.

Luigi went ahead and started to wash the dried blood from his face. Once that was taken care of, he grabbed one of the last remaining paper towels from the dispenser and dried himself before tossing it onto the already littered floor. He felt and looked much better than he did before, though he was still in bad shape. He was about to leave when he felt sharp movements in his stomach. He just remembered that he had been holding it in for almost the entire trip while he was asleep and even before him and Daisy went into his house. He would go into a stall, but the thing that made him hesitate was the wretched smell. He thought about going outside to take care of business, but there was always the possibility of someone seeing him and perhaps turning him into the authorities. He wanted to get back to Daisy and continue the drive to Sarasaland, but he just had to go. He was unable to hold it in any longer. Wasting no time, he quickly walked to the nearest stall in the restroom and dropped his pants. At this point, he did not care about the odor, or whether the stall door was missing, or whether the unit was clean or not. He just needed relief, and relief he got. However when he reached for the toilet paper roll, he saw there was only a cardboard tube resting on the bar and nothing more.

"Damn it!" Luigi cursed under his own breath. _Why did I not see that coming?_

Desperate, Luigi tried reaching underneath the wall to his left to see if he could reach for the other roll of paper. As it turned out, there was still some paper left and he did not hesitate to take the rest of it. He was about to finish up and leave when the solitary flickering light in the restroom went out and plunged the room into darkness. Luigi could not see a thing.

"Great!" he said sarcastically as he got back onto his feet and pulled his pants up. Suddenly, fear shot through Luigi's body as he suddenly heard Daisy honk the horn, after which he heard the sound of footsteps making their way up to the men's room entrance. Luigi stayed in his place as the door opened up and another man walked inside, too scared to do anything else. The absence of light did not seem to bother the other person, whoever he was, but Luigi stayed as perfectly still as he could against the stall barrier to avoid drawing any attention to himself. It was when the man started slowly making his way towards the stalls when the room suddenly became chilly, almost if he was in the presence of some supernatural entity. Whoever this person was, his presence inside the room was foreboding, as if Luigi were in the presence of a serial killer. Just when he thought they were coming his way, the footsteps suddenly stopped and Luigi held his breath as he tried to remain as quiet as he could. Somehow, he suspected that whoever was in the room was not the kind type. Looking under the gap between the floor and the stall barrier, Luigi could see a pair of dark boots that were styled very much like the ones he was wearing. In fact, they were the _exact same _boots.

_That person is wearing my shoes! _Luigi thought. _Who the hell is that guy? Could that be…?_

Slowly getting up from the floor, he got up and slowly peered out into the room to see if he could get a glimpse of the man who was standing by the sinks. The man was turned away from him and was blocking the mirror, so he could not get a good glimpse of his face. However he looked strikingly familiar. He was wearing the same style of hat that Luigi was wearing, but the overwhelming darkness in the room prevented him from telling any details regarding colors. But from what he could tell, the man was the same height as him, but he was wearing a dark suit and a mask. _A mask!_

That was when Luigi suddenly remembered Toad's description of the suspect in his brother's kidnapping:

_He had the same physical traits as you and he had the same voice. However, the only difference was that he wore darker clothing and he had a mask over his eyes._

"Oh my god! It's him!" Luigi found himself saying out loud. _Shit! Big mistake!_

The man turned around and was now facing the stall he was hiding in. Luigi gasped when he saw his face. This man was an almost exact spitting image of _himself!_ His facial features, including the mustache, all matched Luigi's. The only thing that was different were his eyes, which appeared to be a cold, light gray color instead of a vibrant blue. Even more disturbing was the fact that his hat was also green and had a similar emblem on the front. But instead of a white circle with an L in the middle, the L was backwards and stood in the middle of a black circle. As much as he chose to forget about it, he knew who the man was, though this time he had a mind and body of his own.

"No…it can't be!" Luigi said out loud.

"_I knew you were in here, Luigi._" the man said, surprising Luigi with his similar voice, though it was slightly deeper and darker. "I am your shadow figure. You should already know me as _Mr. L_. if I'm not mistaken…"

"What do you want from me?" Luigi asked. "Why are you back as your own person?! I thought my brother took care of you when he went after Count Bleck! You should've been dead a long time ago!"

"He did." Mr. L. replied. "And now you have taken care of me by removing the Amulet of Jealousy and Resentment from its resting place in the subkingdom of Birabuto. Count Bleck was not smart enough to save my soul, but somehow you were able to force the ancients to tap into your subconscious and bring me to life as soon as you activated the amulet's powers. You've freed me, and for that I thank you."

"You're certainly NOT welcome!" Luigi said, his voice trembling with anger. "And for your information, I had no idea what that artifact was capable of until just a few hours ago!"

"It's capable of far more than what you've seen. Believe me…" Mr. L. replied. "They aren't good things either, but that's all I'm going to say."

"Where's my brother?!" Luigi asked.

"I beg your pardon?" Mr. L. replied in a surprisingly calm tone.

Luigi grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer out of frustration, but Mr. L did not seem to care. In fact, he seemed to _enjoy_ it.

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about! WHERE THE HELL IS MY BROTHER AND PRINCESS PEACH?!" Luigi yelled.

"That, I won't tell you." Mr. L. sneered as he leaned closer to Luigi, making him uncomfortable. "The only way I would ever even consider telling you anything is if you give me something in return, something that will most certainly fulfill all of my inner desires."

"And what would that be?" Luigi asked nervously.

"Feel my horny crotch and you'll get your answer." Mr. L. replied in a somewhat seductive tone. Luigi tried getting away, but Mr. L. had a quick and strong grip. He tried reaching for his for his crotch, but Luigi managed to stop him and push him into the wall. Mr. L. returned the favor and cornered Luigi next to one of the urinals.

"Get off of me, you sick bastard!" Luigi shouted. "I don't go after other guys!"

"Neither do I, but you're the exception." Mr. L. replied. "After all, we are two of the same person, are we not?"

"Ugh!" Luigi grimaced. "Is this what you consider to be your sick idea of masturbation?! Who the hell do you think you are?!"

"That is the very question you should be asking yourself." Mr. L. said. "Remember, I am an entity that represents every negative aspect of you as well as the darkest times of your life. But who are _you_?Are you shadow of your own brother like everyone thinks, or are you a hero in your own right as _you_ believe? If you want to find out who you really are, then you need to get to the hidden basement of the large pyramid in Birabuto in less than five days to fulfill the cleansing ceremony!"

"And if I don't?"

"Well, I guess you would then have to consider me as the real Luigi…"

"You are NOT the real Luigi!" Luigi said. "Besides, even if you do represent everything negative about me, there's no way you can say that I ever tried to rape another person, let alone another guy!"

"Yeah, but there was a time in your life when you had a hard time controlling yourself around others…" Mr. L. replied. "You haven't forgotten about that, have you?"

"That was when I was just a horny nineteen-year-old kid!" Luigi said. "That was when I was still figuring out who I liked and didn't like. It's a normal thing for adolescents. I've grown out of that. Besides, I'm pretty sure I finally found the love of my life."

Mr. L's face grew cold as his anger finally started to surface. He grabbed Luigi by the neck and tried to punch in the face, but Luigi was able to free himself by kicking his evil counterpart in the place where it counted. He fell to the ground as he tried to recover from the hit.

"So, Mr. L., I meant to ask you this earlier. What is this 'cleansing ceremony' you mentioned?" Luigi asked.

"That you should find out on your own!" Mr. L. said angrily. "What makes you think I'll tell _you_? You're just my evil counterpart."

"_Evil_?! You're the evil one!" Luigi shouted.

Suddenly, Luigi could hear the door pounding.

"Luigi?! Are you alright in there?!" It was Daisy. "Luigi! Can you hear me?!"

Just then, the light inside the restroom came back on and Luigi looked back to continue his confrontation with Mr. L., only to find that he was gone! Looking around, Luigi was dumbfounded to see that he was nowhere in the room to be seen, almost as if he was never in the room to begin with. He had completely vanished into thin air!

_This isn't over, Luigi! _Luigi heard Mr. L. say in his head. _Eventually, you'll give in and feel my wrath! Have at you!_

That was Daisy finally burst through the door and found Luigi next to the urinal with a frightened expression on his face.

"Luigi!" Daisy said as she ran up to him. "Luigi, are you alright? I saw the man that looked almost exactly like you walk in here! He was wearing the dark clothes and the mask just like your friend Toad described!"

"So you saw him too?" Luigi asked.

"Yeah…" Daisy said. "Do you know him?"

"I know him all too well." Luigi replied. "I usually don't tell anyone about this, but I will tell you about it right now. He was the one I was going to tell you about earlier in the car, but never had the chance to. His name is Mr. L. and we're both very much the same person."

"I don't understand."

"Years ago when me and Mario went after Count Bleck, I somehow became unconscious and ended up waking up to Bowser forcing Peach into marriage. I tried to save Princess Peach from Count Bleck and his associates, but ended up only provoking the Chaos Heart, which could only be unleashed by the marriage of a monstrous king and a pure princess. The Chaos Heart was later secured by Count Bleck shortly afterwards. After that, I was warped to a corridor of Castle Bleck, where I came across a pair of Goombas that tricked me into helping them escape the castle. I made an attempt to save my group and Peach, but I ended up coming to a dead end, where I was promptly surrounded by Nastasia's forces, who hypnotized one of the Goombas, causing the other one to join with Count Bleck's side. Nastasia was Count Bleck's right-hand woman at the time."

"So what happened next?" Daisy asked.

"Well, after that happened, I was suddenly tackled by Nastasia's troopers before I saw Nastasia herself standing over me. She was somehow able to hypnotize me and create a new person out of me, one that would carry out the evil operations of Count Bleck. That was when I became known as Mr. L. My memory is a bit fuzzy when it comes to the time I was working for Count Bleck, but luckily Mario was able to save me from my hypnotic and evil state before any more damage was done. The only real memories I have of Mr. L are those that Mario told me about afterwards. But now, it seems he has come back to haunt me. Only this time, he has a mind of his own…"

"So it's true…You _are _the one responsible for Mario and Peach's disappearance!" Daisy said.

"I am, but I'm also not." Luigi replied. "I can't believe it…"

"Where did he go?" Daisy asked.

"I don't know…he just vanished right after you started banging on the door, almost like he has some kind of magical power built into him now." Luigi said. "We had a bit of a confrontation…but I did learn a few things. It was him that I heard in my head back at my house and, apparently he was regenerated as a result of me taking the amulet from that box in Birabuto."

"Oh my god…" Daisy said. "He _is _connected to the amulet! Did he hurt you?"

"Not that much." Luigi replied. "No cuts or bruises, though he did try to get in my pants…"

"What?!"

"I know…It disgusting…But listen, we have to get out here and get to your kingdom as quickly as possible and find out more about the Amulet of Jealousy and Resentment. Mr. L. said that it was capable of far more than what we've seen so far and apparently none of it is good."

"I wonder what, exactly?" Daisy asked.

"I'm not sure, but I only five days to figure it out. The sooner we get to Sarasaland, the better chance I will have of being able to save Mario and Peach, as well as myself. Let's go."

Luigi and Daisy walked out of the restroom and ran back to the car before speeding off into the darkness. Luigi was now driving and Daisy was starting to fall asleep in the passenger seat. _This is getting too far out of hand! I need to find a way to stop that bastard and bring back my brother and his love! I need to stand up and become the man I am… No more Mr. Nice Guy._

* * *

**The identity of the real culprit has been revealed, and it turns out that Luigi can be considered responsible for the disappearance of Mario and Peach after all! Mr. L was resurrected by Luigi himself! But how? The amulet is surely to blame, but why did it have to happen? What exactly did Luigi do to cause his evil counterpart to appear? And what is the 'cleansing ceremony'? Stayed tuned for the next chapter, as this will be when things will start to make more sense ;)**

**saturn95**


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